Zack's Pokemon Journey
by ZEntertainment
Summary: Zack is a 10 year old boy whose entire family is murdered while he was out getting his starter. Now Zack is traveling with his dad's best friend Palmer and a beginning trainer named Leaf. He is going to try to be a Pokemon Master but also seek justice for his family. Big adventure with equal humor/drama and eventually maybe romance.
1. It All Begins With Fire

Zack was horrified about what lay before him. The house where he lived, the house where his entire family had been living in for the past twenty years was up in flame. The towering inferno rose above him and it was at least an enormous fifty feet up in the air. The flames danced around the remains of everything Zack had known so far in his life.

Zack was a normal 10 year old boy. So basically he was bit of a brat. The fact that his father was at one point considered one of the greatest Pokemon champions the world had ever seen had made Zack a spoiled brat. Ever since he was born he had wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. He was going to be the world's greatest Pokemon trainer just like dear old dad was. He wasn't the only one in his family who shared this idea. He had multiple brothers and sisters, many of which who tried to become Pokemon experts and masters to varying degrees of success.

There was Matt who became a bit of a slacker after he failed to accumulate more than three gym badges. Then there was Lani, Zack's sister, who studies with Professor Oak every weekend. There was Zack's other sister Jess who did night shifts at the local Pokemon Center. Zack also had his little sister Draca, the only one of Zack's siblings who was younger than him. She was a sweet innocent little thing. Of course, there was Zack's older brother Red.

Red was probably the person Zack hated the most but also the one he respected the most. Red became a Pokemon champion and the person who carried on the family legacy after their father retired from battling. Zack begrudgingly hated the fact that Red got to do what Zack always wanted to do, and the only reason he got to do it first was because he was older. The fact that Red was always distant and at times silent towards Zack didn't help matters.

Every member of Zack's family was in the house when Zack left earlier that morning. Zack thought back to when he woke up that morning. Before his house had become a pile of ash.

The sun was shining and the sky was a brilliant blue. Zack looked towards the sky and saw a flock of Pidgey fly past. He had a smile as big as a child's on Christmas morning. Today was going to be the happiest day of his life. Today was going to be the day he got his starter Pokemon from Professor Oak. He jumped out of bed and his pajamas and quickly put on some clothes. He wanted to look presentable to the Professor. He raced downstairs to the sweet aroma of pancakes floating in the air.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Zack's mother inquired.

"Oh come on mom. You honestly don't remember what day it is?" Zack replied sarcastically.

The woman look a bit confused at first and then her face lit up.

"Oh of course," she exclaimed. "Today is the day isn't it? Oh my god you kids grow up too fast you do know that right? Have you decided what starter you are picking out then hon?"

"I think I'm gonna finally decide when I get to the Professor's lab."

"You should get a Squirtle," Matt said as he entered the kitchen. "I got one when I was your age and I still have it."

"Yeah too bad he is still only a Squirtle after what, ten years?" Zack quipped.

"As far as I can tell it's better than any Pokemon you have right now Pipsqueak," Matt replied.

"Boys, stop your bickering," Mom demanded. "Everyone let's all eat breakfast."

"Gladly," Matt said as he pulled up a chair. "By the way, Jess and Lani are both upstairs passed out. They had a lot of work last night."

"It's fine. I'll just give them their breakfast later. Anyway Zack, you must be really excited for today."

"Are you kidding me? I am absolutely psyched about today. Today is the day it begins. Today is the day I become a Pokemon Trainer. Just like Dad and Red."

"Don't forget me," Matt interjected.

"I didn't forget you, I left you out on purpose. Today is the day my journey begins."

"I am so proud of you Zack," Draca said as she came up to the table. She was a pretty thing. Only about seven years old, but she had long bushy purple hair. No one exactly knew where the purple hair came from since both Mom and Dad were brunettes but it was an extremely hard to miss feature. She was pretty short and she made Zack, who was short to begin with, seem rather tall in comparison.

"Thanks little sis," Zack looked at the clock and jumped out of his seat. "Oh man, I am going to be so late. Mom thanks for breakfast. Tell Dad and Red that I'm going to be better than all of them when they wake up. Tell them that a new Pokemon Master is going to join this family. I'm off."

Zack sprinted out the door. He enjoyed living in Pallet Town. It was big enough there was always stuff to do and small enough that there was a sense of community. Everybody knew everybody there. The air was always fresh and clean. The sky was always the right shade. Even the river was always cerulean. That's when Zack arrived to Oak's hill.

He ran up the steps almost three at a time before he came to the laboratory. He knocked four times in rapid succession. Oak opened the door and peered down at Zack. Zack had brown hair and brown eyes. He was kind of short and scrawny. A normal ten year old. But his eyes were piercing Oak with joy and wonder.

"Zack, so nice to see you today. I'm guessing you want to get to the main point as quickly as possible."

"Yes, please Professor."

The two of them walked into the Professor's sprawling lab. There was a triangle with three Poke-Balls in the middle of the room. There was high tech machines adorning every wall of the facility.

"So did you decide what starter Pokemon you would like? By the way, since I know that you know all about the Pokedex and Poke-Balls from your father, I'm not going to give you the full spiel."

"That's okay Professor. I think I've decided. The Pokemon I want is...Charmander. I've always wanted a fire type, plus Charizard's are like the coolest Pokemon of all time. They are fire breathing dragons."

"Actually Charizards are not Dragon-types. It is a very common misconception."

"Really? You think they would be. Oh well. It doesn't matter, they are awesome."

Zack gleefully took the ball with the Charmander and stared at it with amazement. He had never felt this much joy in his life. He quickly thanked the Professor and ran out the door and right into someone.

Zack looked up and, surprisingly, didn't recognize this person. It was a girl around his age. She had a white hat on as well as a blue tank top and a short red skirt.

"Excuse me," she whispered. She got up and walked right into Professor Oak's lab.

Zack shook off any confusion and ran straight home. He could not wait to tell his parents and all his family about his brand new Charmander. He was waiting until he had gathered everybody before he finally showed off his fire lizard. He was filled to the brim with excitement. That's when he came home.

Zack couldn't quite grasp what was happening. His house was burning to the ground and no one was in sight. No neighbors, no emergency personal, and most unsettling, no family. He looked and couldn't spot anyone, anywhere. That's when the thought hit him. What if his family was still inside?

He raced down the hill towards his house. He had to go in the house and save his family. He just had to. He was about to run into the fire when someone tackled him to the ground. He squirmed ferociously trying to go into the house and save anyone he could though in the back of his mind he knew he could do nothing.

"Let me go, I need to help them. They're my family, let me go!" Zack screamed at the person holding him.

"You can't. I can't lose you too," the person replied.

Zack violently tried to escape the clutches and he takes a look at his captor. Palmer was holding him down and not letting go. To Zack, there was no way this situation could get any worse.


	2. The Grieving Period

Zack had always hated Palmer. He might have even hated Palmer more than he hated Red. Palmer was an alcoholic, pill-popping womanizer. The biggest piece of trash the town had to offer. Even the hobos and the drunks were on a higher plane than him. But he was also rich and Zack's father best friend.

According to Zack's dad, Palmer was at one time one of the greatest Pokemon trainers of all time. They had apparently met at some league or conference. Back then, Palmer supposedly had class though Zack could never envision it. They have been at each others side ever since.

Zack was aggravated that guy was holding him down. Zack could smell the alcohol on the guy's breath. Zack struggled against the guy but he was incredibly strong for someone who was so lanky. Palmer was a tall guy and with blond hair. He had this green coat that he always kept unbuttoned with a white undershirt underneath. He also always wore gloves, as far as Zack could remember. He had some signs of aging on his face, as well as an unkempt stubble.

"I'm taking you out of here. There's nothing you can do now" Palmer said as he forced Zack away from the house and away from the danger.

"Let me go. They need me" Zack screamed as he desperately tries to race toward his family. Zack was crying and reaching his arms out as long as he could. He needed to get to them. He needed to help them. They might still be in there. They can't be gone. They can't.

"And what are you going to do, huh. Are you going to run in there and get yourself killed. I'm sorry to say this but if they didn't get out then they are gone. I'm not gonna risk losing the only remaining member of my family" Palmer screamed.

"They are not your family. They are mine. They are mine" Zack cried out as he started to lose consciousness. The smoke fumes or something was throwing him off. Probably the stress. He couldn't take it any more. He turned around and saw the red and blue police sirens drive up on top of the hill. He couldn't take it anymore. He passed out

* * *

Palmer was at the police station and was probably more tormented than ever before. Now Palmer had been through A LOT of crap through his life. Most of his pain had always been self inflicted though. But this was different. Ash and his family had always been the bright spots in his life. The people that got him out of that destructive lifestyle. But now they are gone. Just like that.

Officer Jenny came in with a large amount of papers in her hand.

"What's the report. Did anyone survive" Palmer asked inquisitively?

"I'm sorry to tell you this Palmer but no. We found six bodies all burnt to a crisp. We did DNA checks on all of them and I'm sorry to say it was confirmed. Ash and his entire family are dead."

Palmer sat down in the chair almost as if the words were an actually blow to the chest

"Wait. There were eight people living in the house. Who didn't you find the DNA match for. We know one got out. Who was the other."

"The only one we didn't find a match for was Draca, the youngest. Unfortunately, she was so small there weren't many chances she even left a sample for us."

"Oh my god. Poor Draca. She... she was always so cute. She would always go and call me Uncle Palmer." Palmer put his hands on his head and started rubbing his head. He looked like a sad figure, with his back hunched. "What am I going to tell Zack. That his whole family is dead? I can't do this. I need a drink."

"Palmer now is not the best time to start drinking. Now is the time to grieve."

"How do you think I grieve?"

Jenny shut up on this reply. She looked at Zack sleeping on the chair in her office. The poor kid must have lost everything. What was he going to do now?

"Do you know what happens to Zack now? Did Ash ever mention any plans for him" Jenny inquired?

"Well considering how today he went to go get his starter Pokemon today, maybe he could go on a Pokemon journey."

"Don't be stupid. The kid has no parents, no family. No one to look out for him. He's not going to go on a journey. He needs time to grieve."

"You're wrong."

"About what?"

"About no one to look out for him. He always has me" Palmer said as smiled at the boy.

"No offense Palmer, but you are not suitable to raise this child."

"I don't need to raise him. He is ten years old. By the law, if he wants to go become a Pokemon Trainer he can. By that, I mean in the law's eyes, he is old enough to take care of himself. Plus his parents did most of the raising. I'm here to keep an eye on him."

"But he needs to grieve. He is too emotionally unstable to leave."

"Really. Then why don't we go ask him" Palmer said as he got out of his chair and walked over to the sleeping child.

"Hey wake up" he yelled at the comfortable Zack. He hit him a couple times on the head to make sure the kid awoke.

Zack woke up to see Palmer staring right at him. Zack sneered a little and tried to sleep again when he remembered what had happened earlier that day. His Pokemon, his house, his family.

"Where are they" Zack asked. "Where is my family?"

Palmer's smile faded and he looked at Zack morosely. "I'm sorry to say this to you Zack but...your family... they uhhhh... they're gone" Palmer spit out. Tears formed in Palmer's eyes and Zack couldn't believe the sight.

"Why are you telling me this" Zack said as his eyes started to water. "Why? How could this happen? They can't just be gone. What happened?"

"I don't know kid. I don't know."

Zack looked at Palmer's eyes. The guy was heartbroken. Almost as if he lost his own family.

"Why are you crying. Your family isn't dead. They were mine" Zack is frantically yelling and sobbing.

"They were my family too. I wasn't related to them but they were my family. Especially your father."

Zack looked at Palmer again and he could see it. He could see the pain. The loss.

"It's okay Zack. We can get through this together" Palmer said as he put his arms around Zack for a big hug. Zack hesitated for a second and then hugged Palmer back. They hugged and cried with each other for at least ten minutes. Both in their thoughts of grief. No one bothered them. They were going through a tough time. They needed their space.

"So what are we going to do now" Zack asked Palmer.

"Well, Officer Jenny and most of Pallet Town believe you should stay here. Grieve and do all those things. But you don't listen to most of Pallet Town,do you?

"Not usually, no."

"Well, I think we should go on a little adventure. Just me and you. Let's make you a Pokemon Master. You will be the master, and I your trustworthy coach."

"I like that. I always told my family I would be the very best Trainer in the world. I think this is the way to remember them. To make my dreams come true."

The two of them got up and walked out of the police station. Zack looked all around him. The sun was still high enough to go and start their journey. That's when Officer Jenny came running out of the station.

"Zack, please. This isn't the right way to go about things. You need time to grieve and think things over."

"Oh, Jenny. Zack has thought this over" Palmer replied slyly.

"Zack, this isn't the right way" Jenny pleaded.

"I would always tell my family that I would be the very best Pokemon Trainer ever. So that is what I plan to do. I am not going to let you or anyone else stop me" Zack said confidently. He walked away towards his destiny. Palmer and Jenny stayed back.

"He doesn't know what way he is going, does he" Jenny asked Palmer?

"Not a clue. But you do have to love his zest." Palmer smiled. "Well I better go follow him. Oh and before I go I need to make something clear."

"What" Jenny asked?

"I told you so."


	3. Insecurities and Information

Zack and Palmer were off on their adventure. They were going into the great unknown. Their journey was beginning.

"Hey kid. Before we go anywhere I think it might be best if we stock up on some supplies" Palmer said. "I know you want to get out of here as quick as possible and have your huge dramatic exit but we are going to need food. And sleeping bags. Some berries are also good. Hell, let's just ball out. I got the money.

"I'd rather not. I told my family I would become a Pokemon master and I really want to go and do that as quickly as possible" Zack replied. He was still pretty shaken up about the whole affair this morning. The kid did lose his family after all. But it didn't matter. He needed to do this. To respect their memory. Thoughts in his head would manifest saying that he shouldn't go or that he needed to take time off. All day his head had been abused by stress and his insecurities. He was ready to be gone.

"Yeah well your family really wouldn't appreciate you starving to death in the middle of Route 1. Well maybe they would. They would be closer to you after all" Palmer said jokingly.

Zack turned around. "How could you say that about them. They died this morning and here you are making jokes" Zack screamed.

"It's a little something called dark humor. You're going to have to get used to it since you are traveling with me."

"And why exactly am I traveling with you. When I woke up this morning I hated you. You are a poor waste of human life. Why exactly do I need you?"

"Two reasons really" Palmer replied as he took out a cigarette. "First of all, I'm the only 'family' you have left. We aren't blood related but I have known your father a hell of a lot longer than he knew you. He was my brother. My one friend. So I feel I am a bit obligated to watch after his surviving child. Plus traveling by yourself is really boring. You need someone to talk to or you might go mad. To be fair, you seem rather mad right now."

Palmer lit the cigarette with a lighter. It was a small flame but for some reason Zack couldn't help but look at it. It was red. Red just like the fire that took his family. Zack stared at it and memories from this morning started swirling around in his head. Then the flame was gone. Zack snapped out of it as Palmer put the lighter in his coat.

"I still don't see you have to try to be funny about it. Does the phrase 'too soon' ring a bell" Zack asked?

"The best kind of jokes are the ones that are too soon. Anyway, your father wouldn't want me to be sad or mourning. He would want me to be happy and upbeat. So that's how I'm going about it."

The two of them walked until they came across the Poke-Mart. Inside the store was full of all your basic traveling necessities. Food, clothes, sleepwear, berries, potions, Poke-Balls, batteries, medicine, etc. To Zack the place was absolutely gigantic but his dad had always said the Pallet Town Poke-Mart was one of the smallest he had ever seen.

"Now as I was saying before, let's go shopping" Palmer said with a wide smile.

The two of them gathered all their necessary supplies and left the Mart about an hour later.

"I don't know why but I always love shopping. I love it more than women which let me tell you is quite an accomplishment because women looooove shopping. Trust me, I have known some women in my time."

"Yeah" Zack said distantly.

"You know you are making the right decision" Palmer blurts out.

"What do you mean?"

"You aren't letting their death stop you from your dream and success. If anything, it is pushing you farther than you ever could go. It's quite admirable really."

"You think so."

"I have had to make numerous tough decisions in my life. I haven't always made the right ones. But trust me when I say this is the right decision."

"Thanks. I think I really needed that."

"I know you did. That's why I said it."

Palmer smiled at Zack and for the first time since the fire, Zack smiled back. They were off. It was going to begin.

* * *

They had started on Route 1 but by then the sun was already setting. They ended up camping out not far from the beginning of the Route. Zack was silent for most of the walk despite Palmer's best efforts on coaxing out a conversation. They eventually made camp. Zack was already sleeping when Palmer woke up. It was the middle of the night and his Fame Checker was going off. He took a quick look at and saw he was getting a message from Officer Jenny. He answered the message.

"Jenny, I'm sorry but I can't be your booty call today. See I'm on an adventure" Palmer says playfully.

"Stop fooling around. I have very important information that you need to hear immediately" Jenny replied scornfully.

"Oh and what kind of information would that be" Palmer said playfully.

"It was a murder"

Palmer's sly smile instantly dropped and his body got still and tense.

"What was a murder?"

"The burning down of the home. It was a murder. We examined some of the bodies and found bullet wounds in most of them. We also found footprints and Pokemon marks. There was Magmortar and Talonflame droppings on the scene. We think that it was an arson. Someone tried to murder that family."

"Did you find out who? Who would even try this?"

"We have no leads at the moment but this does not look good at all. We need you and Zack to come back for more questioning.

"Why are we needed for questioning? We did nothing wrong."

"You would know all about the enemies Ash might have had and we need to protect Zack. Chances are they might want to go after the only one who was ever able to get away."

"If these people were competent enough to kill Ash and Red,I think we both know the police aren't going to be able to effectively protect Zack."

"What and you can" Jenny yelled scornfully.

"Jenny, we both know I can."

"Well we still need you to tell us about Ash's enemies."

"Ash had no enemies. He was the nicest person who had ever lived. No one hated him. If they did, they eventually would come around. The guy was a damn Mary Sue. If someone came after anyone in the family, it would have been Red."

"Wait, why? What was Red involved with?"

Palmer realized he had said too much. "I have to go" he said forcefully.

"You can't just leave. The police need your information."

"I gave you all I know. I'll tell you more another day. But right now, I have to go."

"Wait" Jenny screamed but Palmer hung up the call. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ash and all his family, had been murdered. He needed to watch Zack much closer than he thought. The kid needed protection and guidance. He needed Palmer.

Palmer walked over to Zack's tent when he heard sobs. He peered inside and found Zack in his sleeping bag bawling his eyes out. The kid was going through a lot. There was no way he could tell him his family was murdered. Another day he would say. Today was not that day.


	4. The First Battle

Palmer awoke that morning the way he did every morning: by drinking a bottle of some hard liquor to start the day off. He looked at the battle a little apprehensively today though. He had a ten year old boy in his care today, that wasn't his yesterday. Maybe he shouldn't be drinking. Maybe he should quit.

"Ah what the hell" Palmer said as he gulped down the whole bottle in one swig. He came out of his tent and looked around. Why was the sun so bright today? It was just yesterday his family had died, he didn't quite understand why the weather had to be so damn cheery about it. He saw the tent that Zack had slept in and he peered inside. There lay the little brat who was now his responsibility. Palmer didn't mind. He had been looking for a purpose in life for a while now. Maybe this kid was it.

There was a rustle in the bushes behind him. Palmer turned around quickly only to see it was just a Rattata walking around. Palmer was on edge after his conversation with Jenny last night. A murder. That word kept sticking out in his mind. The fact that someone would go to the trouble of murdering Ash. Ash was a good guy. He didn't have any enemies. Red had enemies. Red had got himself into things he really shouldn't have. But he was a good kid at heart.

Palmer stayed outside the tent for a while and used this time to gather his thoughts. It must have been an hour later when Zack finally emerged from his tent.

"Oh so sleeping beauty has finally woken up. Took you long enough" Palmer teased.

"Shut up. Where's breakfast" Zack responded.

"You know, I knew I forgot something. Getting your food ready. Oh well."

"It's not really an 'oh well' thing. It's kind of important. Humans need food to eat."

"Do they? I never really noticed that myself. Always thought humans relied on good old photosynthesis" Palmer responded with a sarcastic tone. "Anyway today is a big day for you. Today is the day your journey begins."

"You obviously can't tell time. That was...yesterday" Zack said. Yesterday was a bad day. He wasn't sure if he should keep it in his mind as a source of motivation or push it out to protect from trauma. Palmer noticed this out of the corner of eye and didn't say anything. The two of them got ready for a full day of traveling. They packed the equipment and they were off.

"So I'm guessing we are heading to Viridian City first, right" Palmer asked Zack.

"Yeah that's the town with the closest Gym" Zack responded confidently.

"And you intend to challenge the gym and beat the Gym leader?"

"Yes, that is what people tend to do at the gyms."

Palmer burst out laughing. "I'm sorry but that is just hysterical" Palmer squealed as he laughed with utmost delight.

"Is there something funny" Zack sneered.

"Yes. The fact that you think that you can just walk right into a gym and take the badge. It is these guys JOBS to be good trainers. If you honestly think you are going to overcome them just like that then you have another thing coming."

"Whatever. My father and Red were both Pokemon masters. I'm sure to beat these gym leaders."

"Quick question. Have you ever had a real Pokemon battle in your life? Have you ever had the thrill and experience of a legitimate Pokemon battle? Hell, have you even let that poor Charmander of yours out of it Poke-Ball? Have you even seen the damn thing?

"No, not yet. But I will when I battle the Gym Leader."

"Kid you are hilarious" Palmer said as he just laughed off the whole conversation. The kid was in over his head. No way he could take on a Gym leader with his level of inexperience. They walked for a while when they came upon a Poke-Center.

"That's strange. I was under the impression that there were only Pokemon Centers in cities" Zack thought out loud.

"That would be really stupid. Pokemon Centers are basically rest stops where people can sleep, battle, get their Pokemon healed up. Plus they are Poke-Marts as well so you could buy anything you need. You will learn to love these things. They are your haven. Also we are sleeping here tonight."

"But its only 3 PM. We could keep going for at least a couple more hours tonight" Zack whined.

"These places provide free food, rooms, and comfort. We need to take advantage of them every time we come across one."

Zack wanted to argue. He wanted to hit back with a biting retort. But he knew Palmer was right. Palmer might not be a good example of human beings but the guy wasn't stupid. They went over to the nurse and ended booking a room for the two of them, as well as dinner reservations at their diner.

"So what exactly are we supposed to be doing until dinner at 7" Zack asked.

"What I usually do, is strike up conversation with people and other trainers. Pokemon Centers are great places to practice skills and battling as well. Some of my best battles were held in beat-up, rundown centers. Ahh the memories are oh so very sweet."

"So what you are saying is basically run along and make friends."

"Yeah that sounds about right. How about that guy over there." Palmer pointed at a young kid, must have been thirteen, so a little older than Zack. He was obviously a trainer as his body seemed rugged and toned. He was wearing some jean shorts and a cap sideways. He had a handsome look about him but manly handsome. You could tell he was athletic.

"What's so great about him"

"He's a trainer just like you. By the looks of him, he is still starting out. Now would be a good time to stretch that Charmander of yours legs."

Palmer got out of his seat and walked over to the young kid. Zack though hesitant eventually ended tailing him. The two of them arrived next to the kid and Palmer initiated conversation.

"Hey, my name is Palmer and this is Zack. Poor old Zack here has never had a Pokemon battle in his life but when he goes to parties and things of that ilk he introduces himself as a Pokemon Trainer. Could you do me a favor and pop the kid's battling cherry."

The kid had a face of pure bewilderment. "What exactly do you want me to do with this kid" he asked with a tone that was part confusion, part terror.

"I need you to battle this guy with Pokemon. Do you think you can handle that" Palmer asked with a coy smile.

"I can definitely do that. Just know that I'm not going to be throwing a match. I'm the real deal" the kid replied with an aura of toughness behind him.

"Of course you are" Palmer deadpanned. The group of the three of them went outside to find a clay arena, just like the ones they use for the Pokemon battles on TV.

"The names Isiahh by the way" the kid spoke up.

"My name is Zack" Zack replied.

"Now that we all know each other, lets get this show on the road" Palmer yelled enthusiastically.

Isiahh and Zack shook hands then went on each side of the arena and Palmer stood in the middle.

"This is going to be a one on one battle. No further questions. Great" Palmer yelled enthusiastically. He had a wild look in his eye and Zack had the feeling that Palmer has been itching for a good old fashioned Pokemon battle.

"Go Charmander" Zack yelled and he threw his Pokeball. Out came out the red lizard himself. Zack realized he had never seen his starter in person until just now. It was a great specimen. He looked powerful and bigger than most Charmanders but maybe Zack was imagining things. His body looked great and then Zack took a look at his tail. Fire. Pure, red fire. No, no, no. Zack had to push those thoughts out of his mind. He needed to get over it. But for a split second he saw his house burning down in front of him. Zack didn't even realize his opponent had thrown out a Pokemon until Zack's Charmander got thrown across the arena. Zack looked up and saw a greyish little man in front of him. It had three yellow prongs on its head and it was quite stout. Its muscles were well developed. Zack was looking at a Machop. A Machop who had just Karate Chopped his Charmander across the arena.

"Zack. What happened right there, with your opponent hitting you and you doing absolutely nothing. Yeah that isn't supposed to happen" Palmer quipped.

Zack shook off the cobwebs and so did Charmander. They were ready.

"Charmander use..." Zack faltered. What moves does Charmander know? He had to think, think, think.

Isiahh was much quicker to the draw.

"Machop, hit him with another Karate Chop"

The hand of the Machop glowed white and the Pokemon came running at the Charmander at a breakneck pace. Suddenly, Zack remembered an attack.

"Charmander, dodge it and use Scratch"

The Machop came up to Charmander and let loose its glowing hand chop. But Charmander ducked down just in time to completely dodge the attack. Charmander's claws on his right hand also start glowing right. He retaliates by hitting the Machop square in the chest with the vicious claws. The Machop is instantly pushed backwards by at least twenty feet. The friction between his feet and the ground, kicked up a ton of sand in the air.

Zack was dumbfounded. His Pokemon had landed a successful hit. It was the one with the upper hand at this moment. Zack had to quickly snap out of his wonder when the Machop was coming back for more. Unfortunately, Zack didn't hear what the command was for the Machop so Zack just went with what he knew.

"Charmander, another Scratch attack."

The Machop rapidly approached Charmander. Charmander's claws glowed the bright white they had before. But the Machop's hand was not glowing. They two of them met in the middle. Charmander unleashed the claws but the Machop ducked down. He then extended his leg and unleashed a mighty kick onto Charmander's legs. Charmander was instantly dropped onto his back with a glazed look in his eyes.

"Machop, hit him with a Karate Chop"

"Charmander, Scratch"

But Charmander was on the ground and not in a good position. Charmander tried to lift his arm up to unleash his glowing claws but a vicious Karate Chop hits the poor Pokemon right in the abdomen. His eyes bulged out a little and he winced in his extreme pain. The Machop stood over his foe and felt like a giant.

"Hey,Zack here's an idea. You have a fire Pokemon. Why not use, oh I don't know, a FIRE-TYPE move" Palmer yelled at the awestruck Zack.

"Machop let's finish him off with one more Karate Chop" said Isiahh whose adrenaline was clearly rising. He was the dominant one here.

Zack didn't want to admit it, but Palmer was right.

"Charmander, Flamethrower"

The Machop geared up to deliver his final blow. He lifted his hand up high and it glowed the brilliant white. But a ball of fire formed in Charmander's mouth. Charmander spit out a rousing Flamethrower attack as a red-orange stream of hot fire erupted from his mouth. Machop was thrown at least twenty foot in the air by the blast and all before he could unleash his final Karate Chop. The Fighting Pokemon landed with a large thud on the ground.

Zack looked at the blast that his Pokemon had created. Pure fire energy in a giant blast. A stream on concentrated fire. Zack stared at it for what felt like eternity. It all came back too soon. Too quickly. The images of his home on fire. The thoughts of his poor family burning to death. It was too much. It was too much. Zack fell to the ground with a thud almost a strong as the Machop's.

"Zack fainted. What Pokemon will you try ne..." Palmer said before realizing what exactly had just happened.


	5. Fear of Fire

Zack woke up to the prodding heads of Palmer and Isiahh.

"Do you think he is going to be alright" asked a very concerned Isiahh.

"I'm fine" Zack asserted as he got up to try to stretch his body out. He felt like he had just fell hard on the ground.

"Does that answer your question" Palmer asked Isiahh. "Anyway, Zack what happened out there?"

"I'm not quite sure myself. All I know is that Charmander unleashed his Flamethrower and I kind of spaced out. The fire was...scary."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw... I saw my parents. I saw my house. It all burned down right in front of me. All of it."

"I think I know what the problem is" Palmer added. "The fire, its bringing back memories for you. Bad memories. Maybe we should take a break from using fire for a while."

"But don't you understand. My only Pokemon is a Charmander. I'm going to have to get over this sooner than later" Zack lamented. He didn't know what to do. It seemed the odds get more stacked against him everyday.

"Look I know this is hard. But you can get through this. You have me with you after all."

"No offense Palmer, but that really isn't comforting."

"Who said it was meant to be. I was just stating facts."

"How long was I out?"

"Only for a couple of minutes"

"Oh well. At least I won the battle."

It got quiet after Zack said this. Palmer and Isiahh were both looking suspicious.

"Oh come on. How did I lose. Charmander's Flamethrower was powerful" Zack whined.

"Well, you see you kind of fainted and Machop got up. So, technically I won by default" Isiahh pointed out.

"Today is going badly. I lose my first Pokemon battle and I faint. Maybe I shouldn't even be trying to be a Trainer."

"Don't you dare say that" Palmer hissed. "You want to be a Trainer. So, I am going to make you the best Trainer this planet will ever see. That is a promise."

The two Trainers smiled at each other and Zack could feel, little by little, he could really get to know and like Palmer.

"Well what do we do now" asked Zack.

"I want to try to help you with your fire problem" Palmer responded.

"I don't know. I feel a little uneasy about this."

"Weren't you the one who said 'I'm going to have to get over this sooner than later' literally a couple minute ago" Palmer pointed out.

"Is there anything I can do" Isiahh asked. The guy had been standing there the whole time and was probably confused by the whole ordeal.

"Actually, kid you can go on your way" Palmer responded.

"Come on. I would like to help. I feel kind of bad, like somehow this is my fault."

Palmer laughed. "I like you Isiahh. You are a good kid. Have this."

He handed Isiahh a number.

"What exactly am I supposed to do with this" Isiahh asked.

"That's my Poke-Phone number" Palmer replied.

"What's a Poke-Phone" Isiahh questioned.

"Well each region used to have their own little electronic devices. PokeNav, Fame Checker, PokeTech. Finally they just all came together to create the Poke-Phone. It has all the features and is constantly updated."

"This is great and all, but I don't have the money to buy one."

"I figured that" Palmer said as he got up and walked over to the store and bought a Poke-Phone.

"Here you go" Palmer said as he handed the device off to Isiaah.

"I can't possibly accept this" Isiahh objected.

"Too bad. Zack needs friends, so having a buddy he can always call is very comforting for him. Thanks for being so understanding" Palmer sarcastically asserted.

"I don't need help making friends" objected Zack. "But it was nice meeting you Isiahh. Hopefully we will get to meet each other again someday."

"Yeah I would sure like to meet again. And have another battle" Isiahh said.

"Yeah that would be nice" Zack responded.

Palmer and Zack watched as Isiahh walked away. He was going in the direction of Pallet Town. The duo walked a little bit farther in the opposite direction. They tried to put distance between them and the Center. They found a clearing in the woods not too far from the center.

"Okay, Zack I want you to summon your Charmander" Palmer asked.

"Palmer, I'm not sure this is a good idea. What if I faint again? What if I can't handle it?

"Zack, we need to try. We need to help you overcome this fear. I can't have my student be afraid of fire Pokemon. It makes me look like a really incompetent teacher."

Zack obliged and let Charmander out of his Poke-Ball. Zack felt sick just looking at his Pokemon. The fire on its tail. It had Zack's attention. He could feel his head starting to ache. He wasn't sure if he could handle this. Maybe this was a bad idea after all.

"Palmer, I can't do this. He has fire on his tail. It's too soon."

"Don't you tell me it is too soon" Palmer rebutted. "The best experiences in life are the ones that come too soon. The ones you are not ready for. They are the ones that force you to make decisions that show who you really are. Who are you Zack? Who are you?!"

Zack screamed a piercing shriek. It completely shattered any tranquility left in the air. He yelled a command. A command for Charmander to use Flamethrower. The red lizard spit out a huge burst of fire from his mouth. Zack looked at the fire with awe. Then the pain started. He saw parts he hadn't seen before. It was his imagination running wild. Specifics on how his parents had burned to death. How poor Draca was engulfed in flames. He thought this wasn't real. This is how he thought things happened. But it was too much. Zack collapsed to the floor but kept consciousness. Palmer quickly came over to help him up.

"You know kid, this is really hurting my self-esteem. My only student can't handle a little fire" Palmer joked.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Zack looked at his Charmander and freaked out. The lizard tried to give Zack a hug or a nuzzle but Zack screamed in terror. The lizard's face dropped into sheer worry. It didn't want its master to hate it but Zack just couldn't handle seeing it.

"Zack, listen. Your Pokemon are your best friends. Don't neglect this one. Give it all the love and attention it needs. I know it scares you but right now you scare it."

"You're right."

"Yeah, you better get used to saying that" Palmer said as Zack shot him a dirty look.

"I'm not comfortable with Charmander. Not yet. But I have to learn to be. Hopefully, I will be able to give him all the love and attention he deserves real soon" Zack said as he looked at the fiery salamander. Then Zack outstretched his hand, and for the first time he put his hands on his Pokemon. He was still completely terrified but this had to be done.

Palmer smiled and said "Well that's a step in the right direction. Now we better get going, because I made dinner reservations at the Center and nothing is going to stop me from getting my fried Slowpoke Tail."

* * *

The girl was walking all alone in the big city. Viridian City. She had just moved to the Kanto region a week ago. Her parents had shipped themselves out to Pallet Town with her in tow. It was a shame. She loved the Kalos region. She especially loved Lumiose City, her hometown. She was always shy and meek. Never one to be the center of attention and definitely not one to have many friends. But she loved exploring. Mostly by herself. That's why she became a Pokemon Trainer. It was a chance to escape her boring home life and travel the world. Of course her parents didn't care. They never did. She had the feeling they couldn't wait to have her out of the house.

This map of the town told her that the Viridian City Gym was somewhere around her area. That's when she spotted it up on top of a hill. She walked over to the front doors but when she tried to open, they didn't budge. She tried a couple more times, but figured that the gym must be closed. She sat down in disappointment. She needed this Gym to be open. That's when she heard voices from inside.

"Cohete, you are quite possibly my favorite agent. Actually you are. You actually got rid of our problem once and for all" said what sounded like an older male.

"Yes, sir. It has been done. The entire family has been taken care of" said a different voice this time. This person was younger and had a bit of a foreign tinge to their voice.

"The thorn in our side is finally gone" said the first voice. Then the girl heard running. Someone was gasping for breath.

"Sirs, I have some unfortunate news" said a new voice, one much younger than the previous two.

"And what would that be" inquired the first voice.

The third voice answered with "One of the children, the one named Zack, survived."

The girl could feel the confidence and heat drain out of the room. Who had survived and what did they survive?

The first man sighed and said "I thought you said the entire family was murdered. I thought you had said we killed all of them."

The girl was shocked. This can't be right. Were these people murderers? Who was Zack?

"Sir,...I apologize" bumbled the second voice, all his confidence depleted. "I will take care of this problem as soon as possible. I will end this."

The girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. These people were murderers. She needed to go alert the police. She needed to tell them that this Zack person was in trouble.

"Also, Cohete one more thing before you go" said the first voice.

"Yes, sir" the second voice whimpered.

"Be sure to take care of our little eavesdropper."


	6. Viridian City Troubles

Zack and Palmer woke up the morning to a beautiful day. They had spent the night at the Pokemon Center despite Zack's objections. But when Zack woke up that morning, all of his apprehensions drifted away. He looked around the room to see Palmer already getting ready for the upcoming day.

"So what's the day plan" Zack asked.

"Well, considering the route we are on is a straight shot into Viridian City and there is no other way to go besides back home," Palmer snidely remarked "I'm thinking we head to Viridian City."

"Are we going to have a training session today" Zack asked anxiously.

"I don't see why not."

Yesterday they had agreed that Zack needed Charmander training. Charmander would use fire attacks and Zack would try to get a resistance to them. Eventually if Zack saw fire enough times he wouldn't get flashbacks or collapse. Plus Charmander was getting stronger through practice and Palmer got to supervise the whole thing.

They had some quick breakfast and then they were on the way to Viridian City, where they thought good things await them. They were wrong.

* * *

The girl was racing through the streets of Viridian City as fast as she could. The whole night she had been chased and harassed by strange men and she was tired. But she couldn't stop. If she stopped who knows what they might do to her. She looked around for the police station. She had to contact them. Give them the information about these people chasing her and this Zack person. That's when they saw her.

Two more grunts dressed in that uniform. Grey shirt with a big red R on it. People like these had been chasing her all day. She turned around to try to go in the other direction but she ran right into the arms of another grunt. She tried to scream but he covered her mouth. All she could think of was how this was the way she was going to die. She tried her best to struggle, to get to safety but she couldn't do anything. So she grabbed her Poke-Ball and threw it.

Out came a Bulbasaur. It was healthy green dinosaur with a plant like bulb growing out of her back. It was the starter she got at Professor Oak's lab two days ago. She gave it a pleading look of help.

It responded by unleashing a powerful Vine Whip on the grunt. The twin vines grabbed him by his waist and threw at least ten feet in the other direction where he landed with a hard crash. The girl and her Bulbasaur ran away from the scene.

She was stuck in Viridian City getting pursued on all sides. She thought nothing but bad things await her in this city. She was wrong.

* * *

Zack and Palmer had been walking for a few hours when they finally spotted Viridian City. They ran towards the checkpoint that connected the city and the wilderness. They were so happy when they ran through the checkpoint doors but unhappy when behind the doors was at least twenty-five police officers, all with guns pointed at the duo.

"Halt. You two are both wanted for questioning on the murder of the Masters family" one of the police officers said on his megaphone.

Zack felt like he had just been sucker punched in the gut. Murder? That can't be right. The fire burned down the house. But they said they didn't know how the fire started.

"What do you mean murder? I thought that the fire was an accident" Zack probed.

Officer Jenny came out from the crowd of officers. She shot Palmer a dirty look and then tenderly looked at Zack.

"I'm sorry Zack. But it was a murder. Someone wanted your family dead and we are going to take you into custody because there is a chance they want you dead as well."

They took Zack away and into an office.

"Don't worry kid" Palmer yelled. "We will be out of here in no time."

He then turned towards Jenny. "What do you want" he grunted.

"Oh, nothing much. Just for you to tell me why you would try to murder your best friend and his whole family" she responded.

This wasn't a very smart move on Jenny's part because as soon as she was done speaking, Palmer had lifted her completely off the ground and was holding her by her throat.

"Don't you ever try to say I did this" Palmer screamed. "These people were my family. I would never have done anything to hurt them. How dare you try to blame this on me."

He let her go and she fell to the floor. Then many of the officers rushed him and tackled him to the ground. He put up no resistance as they handcuffed him and escorted him into the interrogation room.

Jenny realized she had never seen that side of Palmer before. She knew if he had wanted to, her and all of these guys could be dead within a matter of minutes. But for as long as she had known him, he never had shown... anger. The guy had so much thrown on top of him in life but he was always happy and upbeat about it. She shuddered to think what an angry Palmer could do.

Palmer waited inside the interrogation room for about fifteen minutes before Jenny came in with her entourage of five officers. She told them to stay outside and she went in alone.

"I find it funny that they think they can protect you" Palmer said with a cocky smirk.

"And why is that" she asked.

"Not only are you the most competent cop I know, but if I wanted to you would be dead within the second."

Jenny gave Palmer a long hard look but she knew he was right. The fact that he ,to her knowledge, ever misused his skills was amazing.

"I need to know information about the family. Who would target them and why?"

"Ash never had any enemies. Neither did his wife or any of his children. Except one."

"You said something about Red the other night. What do you know about him."

"That he was a great kid but an even better Pokemon Trainer. They don't give out the title Master to anyone. Though it was the kid's last name, I say he was pretty destined to be one."

"I mean what enemies did he have?"

Palmer sighed and then continued. "Red was too good. He had to go and help everyone he could. If he saw injustice then he squashed it. He tried to squash something he shouldn't have been involved with."

"Palmer give the cold hard facts. I need them now."

"Have you ever heard of an organization that calls themselves Team Rocket?"

"I'm not an idiot Palmer. Every cop in the Kanto region knows about Team Rocket. Terrorists, Pokemon Stealers, money launderers, every other crime imaginable, and in some cases, murder."

"Yeah well Red singlehandedly tried to shut them down."

Jenny sighed. "Then there is nothing we can do. Team Rocket has been evading capture for years now. Sure we are always able to capture a few grunts and even if we are lucky the occasional higher up. But as for the true leaders, the guys in charge we don't even know who they are and how to stop them. This case is basically a dead end."

"I'm sorry."

"You're free to go" she said exhaustively.

"And Zack" Palmer asked

"He can go with you. Let him do his dreams. You're better protection for him than us anyway."

"Thanks Jenny" Palmer said as he nonchalantly took off the handcuffs the police put on him. "Also, if you ever need anyone to talk to, you have my number."

Jenny smiled. "You always know how to cheer me up"

"Yeah and you sure know how to get me up" Palmer teased. "If you know what I mean. Remember summer in-" he stopped talking once Jenny covered his mouth.

"Let's not talk about that right now" she said with a smile on her face.

Palmer walked out of the room and saw the death glares of many of the police officers. One tough looking one tried to approach Palmer to say something but Palmer pushed him out of the way. He went into the room where they were holding Zack. He had some hot chocolate in his hand and a blanket wrapped around him.

"Zack we are leaving" Palmer said.

Zack looked up at Palmer. He had obviously been crying the whole time. But when he saw Palmer his face hardened. He stood up and looked straight into his friend's eye. Then he responded with a simple nod. The two of them walked right out into the city.

"Let's go to the Viridian City Gym" Zack said but with a harshness in his voice.

"You okay kid" Palmer asked. "You seem on edge."

"My family was murdered. It wasn't some strange accident but a planned event. Someone woke up that morning with the intention to kill." He stopped for a second and then looked at Palmer. "Palmer can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything. Except about the birds and the bees. That's a conversation to have with your parents. But since you don't have parents anymore then you should definitely use the internet. Lots of useful videos on there."

"Palmer, have you ever killed anyone."

Palmer stopped and looked at Zack and sighed. "Why?"

"I need you to help me kill the people who did this."

"Zack, I would be lying to you if I said I have never killed anyone. But I don't want you killing. That's not a route you should be taking."

Zack thought about this. For the first time, he wasn't agreeing with Palmer. He wanted revenge, he wanted vengeance, he wanted-

Zack lost his train of thought when someone ran right into him. He looked up and saw a pretty girl. She looked familiar but he didn't know why. She was wearing a blue tank top and a short red mini-skirt.

"You should watch where you are going little girl" said Palmer as he pulled Zack and the girl up.

"Please help me" the girl said while shivering.

She looked terrified. She looked tired, scared, and cold.

Zack put vengeance out of his mind. This girl needed help.

"What's wrong" Zack asked

"These people have been chasing me all day and night. I need help. They are trying to kill me." Then she started screaming. "Oh my god one of them is right there."

A man with a gray shirt with a red R walked up to them. "Hand over the girl" he said with an authority in his voice.

Palmer put the children behind him. "Or what" Palmer snidely questioned.

"Do it or else you are going to end up as a corpse in a dumpster"

Palmer laughed. "Oh that would be intimidating if you were actually intimidating."

The man threw a punch but in a split second Palmer grabbed the man's arm. Then in another second he brought his knee up to the man's elbow and broke his arm in two.

The children looked at Palmer with a wonder in their eye. Then he looked back.

"Well, I just broke a guy's arm. I have the feeling we should get out of this city. There is bound to be more running around. Well don't just stand there let's go."

Palmer picked the two kids up and they ran towards the Viridian Forest. They reached the checkpoint. Then Palmer turned around.

"Ok miss you are going to have to tell us why Team Rocket was chasing you" Palmer asked.

"I went to the Viridian Gym but it was closed. Inside, I heard about someone murdered a family and they had to go after someone named Zack."

The air turned still and the wind stopped blowing. Zack and Palmer looked at each other with a sense of unease. The thoughts Zack had of going in and killing his families murderers vanished. They were dangerous. They tried to kill a little girl for no reason other than she heard their plan. Palmer realized this girl needed protection.

"So what's your name" Palmer asked the girl.

"My name is Leaf" she responded.


	7. New Beginnings

The three trainers traveled out of the city. Palmer had said something about having to discuss things in private with the both of them and they needed to get out of the city for it. They went into the forest and walked around until the three of them found a nice clearing. They all sat down and started a discussion.

"So, who are you guys" the curious Leaf asked.

"Well my name is Zack and this is my friend Palmer" Zack replied.

Leaf gasped and in a hushed voice she asked "Are you the Zack that those guys are after?"

"I'm afraid I am."

Leaf took a look at Zack and started crying. "I'm so sorry about your family. It must be so sad, not being able to talk to them. Me and my family, we never got a long. But I don't think I could handle not having them there, you know."

"Don't pity me. They are gone. There is no point being sad about it. All I can do is use their death as my motivation to make myself better."

"That's what you keep telling yourself" Palmer rebutted. "You say that it doesn't affect you and you aren't sad, but you are. It's okay, you can grieve."

"I don't need to" Zack yelled.

"Yeah, you just wanted to kill those people who killed your parents. That is not the path you want to take. Trust me, I know" Palmer said with a sad look in his eye.

Leaf looked at the two people standing in front of her. Palmer looked calm while Zack seemed full of pain and anger. It was obvious that he was holding a lot in.

"Anyway Leaf, that was your name right" Palmer asked "what exactly did you hear? Word for word."

Leaf told them all about what she had heard the other day. The people inside the Viridian Gym, the murder, and the talks of killing Zack. She continued to look at Zack. He looked so familiar to her. That's when it hit her. She had bumped into him the day she got her Bulbasaur at that Professor's lab. She was going to tell him this but she thought to herself how this probably wasn't a good time to bring it up.

Zack absorbed all the information this girl was telling him. These people, Palmer had called them Team Rocket, actually murdered his family. Zack wanted to bring them to justice. He wasn't sure what that meant though. Did he want them dead? Did he want to be the one to kill them? Or did he want them merely punished? All these thoughts swirled around in Zack's head. One thought that particularly stayed with him was the fact that they had chased this girl down.

If she wasn't looking so beat up and tired then she would be very pretty. She had an innocence in her eyes that you just don't see in a lot of people. But the fact that she was only guilty of hearing something she shouldn't and they tried to kill her. This made Zack indignant. How dare they do that to her?

Once Leaf was done telling her story, Palmer spoke up. "Team Rocket is after you."

"Who are they" Leaf and Zack asked in unison.

"To quote the great Officer Jenny: Terrorists, Pokemon Stealers, money launderers, every other crime imaginable, and in some cases, even murder."

"What am I supposed to do" Leaf asked as tears started to form in her eyes.

"You have a couple of options. I could give you to the police, they keep you in custody for a little bit and keep you safe. Finally when Team Rocket forgets all about you, you are free to go on your merry way."

"And what's my other option?"

"Leave town and pray to Arceus they don't find you and kill you. But the fact that you stayed alive this long shows that your luck must be running out eventually. So this is not the recommended action. I will leave you to decide what you are going to do. In the meantime, me and Zack need to have a one on one talk."

"About what" asked Zack.

"Well let's have the talk so you can find out."

Palmer and Zack moved to the other side of the clearing, where they could still see Leaf.

"I talked to Officer Jenny this morning. She basically told me the same thing Leaf just told us. Team Rocket were the ones that killed your parents."

Zack actually smiled.

"Why are you smiling? That is the improper reaction here" Palmer said

"That means that the police are going to go after Team Rocket. They are going to get punished and I can see justice served."

"That's sort of the reason I brought you over here. The police can't do anything to Team Rocket. These guys are untouchables. Despite their efforts they will never be able to capture these guys."

Zack's smile collapsed. His face look tortured. "So what do we do about them" he asked.

"For now, nothing. We can't attack them all gung-ho. We need to use caution as we proceed on with this journey. They will come after you."

"That's not going to stop me. I am going to continue with my journey. I will become the greatest Trainer in the world. It is going to take more than a bunch of terrorists to stop me."

Palmer laughed. "God kid, you have spunk. I like that."

The two of them laughed until out of the corner of their eye they saw five Team Rocket grunts. One of which was holding Leaf with a gun to her head.

"Now, we just want the boy. You are free to go" one of the guys said to Palmer.

Palmer looked all around him. Five guys. Surely he could take care of these guys within a couple of seconds. But he looked at Leaf. He didn't want her getting hurt. She complicated things.

"Didn't you hear me. Run along before I make you regret something" the grunt said towards Palmer.

Palmer decided the smart thing to do was free Leaf as quickly as possible. Palmer reached into coat and pulled out a solitary throwing knife. Then with a quick flick of his wrist, the knife flew from his fingers, right into the hand of the gunman holding Leaf. He instantly let her and his gun go and she ran away from the battle, towards Zack who was standing on the sidelines.

The other four grunts came running at Palmer at the same time. One of them, pulled a gun but Palmer grabbed it with a quick swipe. He turned around and pistol-whipped one of the grunts who tried to go for a back attack. Palmer dropped the gun and punched another one of the grunts. Palmer took out the final one with a quick kick to the liver. The guy fell to his knees and Palmer punched him out. The one who had pulled the gun, looked at Palmer in a mixture of awe and fear. Palmer let loose a quick swipe to the jaw and the guy fell to the ground, out cold.

Zack looked at Palmer with, for the first time in his life, admiration. It was five against one but Palmer had taken all of them out in a matter of seconds. He had always appeared to Zack as a worthless piece of trash. A waste of space. He was always drunk and didn't have a job. But this Palmer was a hero. He had saved all of them.

"Thank you" Leaf spoke up. The whole experience had just shaken her but she needed to show her gratitude. "Thank you so much Palmer. You are amazing"

"Oh you guys. Don't tell me that. It's going to make my ego worse than it already is" Palmer laughed.

Palmer pulled out his PokePhone. "Hey Jenny. I have five Team Rocket grunts right outside Viridian City in the forest. Well four of them are unconscious and the one is crying because I stabbed him in the hand. Zack is okay but yes they did come after him. Okay nice talking to you. I promise next time we talk it will be sexier. OK bye."

Palmer turned towards Zack. "Jenny said hi." He then towards Leaf "Your okay right."

"Yes" Leaf replied.

"Good."

The three of them waited for Jenny to show up. Zack kept insisting on talking about how Palmer just destroyed those guys but Palmer said it wasn't that impressive. One of the guys tried to wake up, but Palmer kicked him in the face so went right back to sleep.

"Anyway Leaf, when Jenny comes you can go with her. She will protect you."

"Actually, about that" she said.

"What's the problem" Palmer asked nonchalantly.

"I was wondering if... if I could maybe...travel with you guys."

Palmer and Zack looked at each other.

"I'm not sure that's a great idea" Zack started to say. "I'm a Pokemon Trainer and I'm going to be going all around the region collecting badges and Pokemon. You don't want that life."

"As a matter of fact, I do. I'm also a Pokemon Trainer and I'm trying to collect badges and Pokemon as well."

"Still there is the fact that Team Rocket is after me. You would be in grave danger" Zack pointed out.

"Well they are after me too. Traveling with you guys would give me some sort of protection and someone to talk to. But I don't talk to that many people. If it is at all a bother, then I can go with Jenny."

Zack started to say something when Palmer jumped in.

"Nonsense, I say. The more the merrier. Congratulations Leaf you just joined the team. But I'm afraid you have to be an orphan to join. We have to go kill your parents."

"Oh my god really" she said with a terrified face.

"No of course not. God take a joke. Anyway I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"What are you doing" Zack whispered into Palmer's ear.

"Trying to get you a girlfriend. Look at the girl. She is beautiful and she needs our protection. Why wouldn't we bring her along."

Zack did look at the girl and Palmer was right. She was great looking and she needed help. The more Zack thought about it, the more it made sense.

"Fine, you can join" Zack said.

"Oh thank you" Leaf replied. Then she jumped and gave Zack a big hug. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Palmer wink to him. Zack, Palmer and Leaf. It had a nice ring to it.


	8. Leaf Intergration

"So Leaf, where are you from" a curious Palmer asked.

The trio were walking along in the Viridian Forest. It was the first day that Leaf was traveling with the group.

"Well, I am from the Kalos region but last week me and my family moved to Pallet Town" she responded quietly. All of the excitement from the previous night had died down. Now Leaf was back to normal. Calm and quiet.

"Oh, Kalos. I had some adventures there. This one chick in Lumiose city had the biggest pair of..."Palmer looked around and noticed he was talking to two ten year olds so he changed his sentence "shoes I have ever seen."

"Yeah its nice there" Leaf said though her mind was in another place.

"Why did you leave" Zack asked

"What" Leaf said as she came back to reality.

"Why did you leave the Kalos region?"

"Oh. I like to think it's because my parents hate me. They said I needed to get out of the big city. I needed to meet more people" Leaf said with a bitterness in her tone.

"So when my mom got a job offer as the bank manager in Pallet Town she jumped on it. She wanted me to go to a small town where everyone knew each other. I would have to make friends" Leaf continued. Zack and Palmer were sensing they opened some kind of Pandora's box. The girl who had been short with them all morning was suddenly very talkative now that she was complaining about her parents.

"But that's not me. I'm not the girl who makes friends. I'm the girl who goes out exploring by herself. I was never the popular girl at school and I never will be. I'm okay with that. But mom wasn't. So I figured I had enough. I decided to make the best out of my situation and explore the Kanto region as a Pokemon Trainer. So here I am now."

The conversation got quiet. Leaf reverted back to absentmindedly looking at the trees in the forest. Zack wasn't sure what to respond to that story. Even Palmer was out of quips on this one. The group walked in silence for a couple minutes before finding a nice clearing.

"OK guys, how do you say we relax here" Palmer said. "We've been walking for a few hours. Good time to just sit down and unwind."

The boys dropped their bags on the floor. They started pulling out equipment and throwing things all around. After a couple minutes the tranquil clearing was now a messy landfill.

Leaf started picking everything up and neatly placing them where they belonged. Palmer had pulled out a bunch of cooking supplies to make a stew but he had left a bunch all over the place. Leaf took these and placed them in Palmer's cooking bag. Then she went over and cleaned up Zack's area...with Zack still in it.

"Leaf, what are you doing" Zack asked as she continued to tidy up everything around him.

"I'm sorry" she said as she stopped cleaning. "I can't relax if there is cleaning to be done."

Leaf continued to clean while Palmer brewed up a stew and Zack just sat back and took a small nap.

"Hey kids." Palmer said "Why don't you let your guys Pokemon out. I'm sure they would appreciate being able to stretch their legs. I know I would if you guys kept me in a small round ball and never let me out of it except when you needed me to fight monsters. It's a simple courtesy."

"I'm not sure that's such a great idea" Zack said. Leaf noticed some color had faded from his face. She wondered what was wrong.

"Nonsense. Now would be a good time for a training session" Palmer smiled. But the smile was mischievous.

"Why you got to smile like that" Zack yelped.

"It's because I love seeing you in tons of pain."

"Oh come on" Zack said losing confidence.

"Just kidding with you. But the pain means you are getting stronger. Which reflects better on me since I'm your coach. Plus, the inner sadist in me loves watching you squirm. It's kinda of funny looking."

"Can someone please tell me what is going on" Leaf asked. Zack was looking extremely nervous which was jarring since every time she saw him before he was full of confidence and swagger.

"Oh Zack is afraid of fire. It just so happens that his Pokemon is a Charmander, a Fire type."

"Why would you pick a Fire type" Leaf wondered aloud. "That's kind of setting up yourself for for failure, isn't it. It just seems really stupid"

Palmer laughed. "Damn girl, could you be any less subtle."

Leaf blushed in embarrassment. She had been told that she was a little too honest sometimes. Like one time in band camp, she told a girl she played the flute very poorly. She was trying to give constructive criticism but got kicked out because everyone felt she was mean.

"I wasn't afraid of fire when I got the starter. I come home that day and find my house flaming with my family inside. So you can see why me and fire don't get along" Zack said with harsh attitude and tone.

Now Leaf felt really bad. She forgot that he had lost his parents just the other day.

"I'm sorry" she said with tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Ahh Zack see what you did. You made her cry" Palmer said with a teasing tone.

Zack comforted her for a little bit and shot Palmer a very dirty look. When Leaf was a little more settled, Zack and Palmer began the session.

Leaf watched as Zack took his Charmander out of its Pokeball. Then Charmander used a couple Flamethrowers. The flames were absolutely beautiful to Leaf, as they danced in the sunlight. But whenever she looked at Zack she could see he didn't share this sentiment. His face was extremely pale and he was shaking, despite it being nice and hot outside. He was obviously going through a lot of mental anguish.

Zack was watching the flames and was terrified as usual. His legs felt extremely shaky and he kept getting the images of his house and his family. These thoughts kept popping in his mind but he kept trying to push them out. But there was an improvement. He wasn't fainting. He was standing tall watching the fire.

Leaf watched intently. It was such a beautiful scene until Zack couldn't handle it. She didn't know what was going through his mind but he collapsed to his knees and let off an ear-piercing scream. Leaf and Palmer both ran over to help him get back to his feet.

"I think we are done for the day" Palmer said as Zack returned Charmander to its Poke-Ball. Palmer and Leaf set Zack down and comforted him until he was feeling stable. But Leaf kept trying to make him feel better.

"It's alright Leaf, I feel fine" Zack said. He was cold to the touch and looking sickly.

"You don't feel fine at all" she said as she kept trying to baby him. This went on for a couple more minutes before Zack, eventually, made her stop.

"Leaf, where are your Pokemon" Palmer asked. "Zack got to 'play' with his."

"Oh yeah. I'm such a neglectful trainer. Forgot all about them" Leaf said as she took out two Poke-Balls. She threw them up in the air and out came two Pokemon. One was a Bulbasaur and the other was a small Caterpie.

"What, you have two" Zack said astounded. He examined them. The Bulbasaur looked like it was in good condition. The bulb on its back was looking healthy and the creature was a good shade of green. The Caterpie was very small, but still nice looking.

"Wow Zack, she is outdoing you here" Palmer laughed. "Not only does she have two Pokemon, but she isn't scared of either of them."

"Well that isn't completely true" Leaf said to Palmer. "I'm a little bit scared of the Caterpie."

"Then why did you catch it" Zack inquired.

"I caught it by accident. I was walking through Route 1 and I took a small break. I set my Poke-Balls down and she ended up touching one. I caught it by a mistake. But I decided a catch is a catch so I might as well enjoy it. But personally, I think Bug-type of Pokemon are icky."

"WHAAAAAAAAT" screamed a voice in the woods. "HOW DARE YOU."

The two kids froze up but Palmer was quick. He grabbed the two kids and put them behind his back. He then pulled out one of his throwing knives and shot his straight in the direction of where they had heard the yelling. The person screamed when the knife hit its mark. Palmer ran into the forest. When he came back he was holding a teenager by the collar of his shirt which had a huge knife mark on the sleeve. The guy was fine.

He looked fairly nerdy. He had big glasses that almost took up his whole face, as well as a big nose. He was wearing suspenders and a white shirt. He also had a magnifying glass in his hand.

"Hey guys" Palmer said with an angry sarcastic tone. "It wasn't a member of Team Rocket or anyone dangerous. It was just a teenager with a death wish."

Palmer dropped the kid on the floor. "Oh please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. You want money, I'll give you money. Just please spare me" the kid cried.

"We're not going to kill you" Zack said. He was annoyed by the guy's whining. "Who are you anyway and why were you spying on us."

"I wasn't spying on you. I was sent on a mission by my Leader" the teen said very quickly.

"Wait, wait. Your leader? Who are you" Zack questioned. The kid stopped whimpering and stood up.

"My name is Seymour. I am a Gym Trainer under the employment of Bugsy, from the Azalea Town Gym. I was sent to Kanto to catalog Bug-type Pokemon in the Kanto region."

"Gym Trainer? Bugsy? Azalea Town? Who is this liar? Palmer do you know anything about this" Zack asked.

"He's from the Johto region. He's a Gym Trainer for Bugsy, a friend of mine" Palmer responded.

"You know Bugsy" the teen said with an admiration in his eye. "Nice to meet you sir. Who are you."

"I'm Palmer and this is Zack and Leaf."

"Wait, I'm confused. He's a Gym Trainer" Zack said confusingly. "I don't understand. What's a Gym Trainer."

"A Gym Trainer is someone who works for the Gym Leader. They are Pokemon Trainers who hope to become the Gym Leader once the original retires or be just be trained by a Gym Leader. They hang out at the Gym with their leader but sometimes they are sent on missions" Palmer said. "Many of the best Trainers I ever met were Gym Trainers at first."

The gang looked apprehensively at the Gym Trainer. He didn't look like a competent Trainer at all. He looked like a bumbling fool.

"But why were you spying on us" Zack asked.

"I wasn't spying on you guys. I have been researching Bug-type Pokemon in the Forest. It is the place with the most Bug-types in the entire region. Anyway, I heard a scream so I came over to this area. I found you guys and was admiring the beautiful Caterpie when SHE insulted it" Seymour explained as he pointed at Leaf.

"I didn't insult it. I just said how I'm not a big fan of Bug-types" Leaf defended.

"How can you not like Bug-types. They are the best Pokemon ever. They are so cute and adorable and I will not stand for you insulting them. Of course, what should I expect from a girl" Seymour jeered.

"Excuse me" Leaf said. Zack noticed the mild mannered Leaf suddenly became very angry. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh just that girls are inferior because none of them appreciate Bug-types" Seymour said as if it was a fact.

"Look man, that is just false. Trust me, I can tell you from experience" Palmer said with a bit of a pained expression, as if he was remembering tough times.

"You don't have to tell him anything" Leaf yelled. She was furious. "Because I am going to show him."

"What do you mean" Zack asked. She grabbed Seymour by the arm and looked into his eyes.

"Me and you. Pokemon battle. Right now" Leaf said to Seymour. He laughed and responded.

"You're on. If you win, I will admit girls are better than boys. But if I win you have to give me a kiss" Seymour offered.

"Fine" Leaf replied with a fire in her eye.

"Leaf, this isn't a good idea. The guy is a Gym Trainer so he has strong Pokemon and training. This would be your first battle" Palmer pleaded. "Plus he's a creep. What are you, fifteen. And you want the ten year old to kiss you. Do I have to call the police on you, because I know some."

"Actually I had to leave my regular Pokemon in Johto. I only have the recently caught Kanto bug-types. But no matter. I will beat her easily" Seymour replied with a cocky demeanor.

"We'll see about that. Go Bulbasaur!"


	9. Leaf vs Seymour

Leaf and Seymour stared each other down. Leaf had just sent out Bulbasaur and they were waiting on Seymour to use a Pokemon of his. Finally the Gym Trainer grabbed a Poke-Ball and threw it.

"Go Venipede" Seymour yelled. Out came a Pokemon Zack had never seen before. It looked like a purple insect with a big hump in its back. It had big eyes that bulged out and away from the face. It had eight stubby black legs two short antennas sticking out from its head. It also had antennas coming from its back. All in all, it was a disgusting looking Pokemon.

"Hey, that's not a Kanto Pokemon" Zack objected.

"Well not all Pokemon in the Kanto region are just in Kanto. Venipedes are from the Unova region but some live here as you can clearly see" Palmer explained.

"That has got to be the most nasty looking Pokemon I have ever seen" said a disgusted Leaf. "Bulbasaur let's get this thing off of the field as quick as possible."

"You are going to fail against my wonderful Bug-type Venipede" Seymour proclaimed. Everyone in the group was all thinking the same thing: this guy is a creep.

Palmer got up to go referee the battle. "This is a 1 on 1 battle between Leaf and Seymour. Let the battle begin!"

"Bulbasaur, hit him with a Vine Whip."

"Venipede, hit with a Take Down"

The match began with a bang. Venipede tried rushing at Bulbasaur as fast as it could...which wasn't very fast. The insect's attempt to hit Bulbasaur with its full body weight was avoided as the quicker Bulbasaur jumped out of the way of the attack with ease. Then two vines appeared from Bulbasaur's back. The vines went after the Venipede and struck with a couple quick blows.

"Bulbasaur hit it with a Tackle" Leaf commanded.

"Venipede, go into a Defense Curl" Seymour demanded.

Bulbasaur came running after the Venipede who was still dazed after its whipping. But it shook off the pain and curled up into a small little ball. Bulbasaur came running at the insect and pushed its full body into a vicious Tackle. The ball shaped Venipede went flying in the air and hit a tree in the forest hard. It ricocheted back into the clearing and it was obvious the Venipede was not winning this battle.

Leaf smiled. This battle was piece of cake after all. This guy didn't know how to use his Pokemon effectively. Things were looking good for her. Seymour on the other hand was smiling for some reason.

Palmer and Zack were watching the battle but Palmer had a concerned look on his face.

"I don't like this at all" he said to Zack.

"What are you talking about" Zack responded. "She is not only winning, she is dominating. The guy hasn't landed a single hit on Bulbasaur."

"That may be true" Palmer responded. "But look at him."

"I'd rather not. He's not easy on the eyes and he's a jerk."

"But he is smiling" Palmer pointed out. "If your opponent is smiling while you are beating them, something is wrong. He has a trick up his sleeve but I don't know what."

"Bulbasaur, let's finish him off with a Razor Leaf" Leaf said.

"Venipede, Take Down" Seymour commanded as he let out a small cocky laugh.

"I don't know why you would try that again" Leaf said. "It didn't work the fast time, it won't work now."

Seymour replied with a coy "You'll see."

Bulbasaur let loose a bunch of sharp leaves from its back. The barrage of at least ten leaves rushed towards the Venipede. But something strange happened. The Venipede zig-zagged through the leaves with a quick speed. Once past the attack the Venipede rushed after Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur tried to dodge the attack, but the Venipede was too fast and punished Bulbasaur with a vicious Take Down attack.

Everyone except Seymour was completely shocked.

"Wait, how was your Venipede so fast" Leaf said with a worried look in her eye. This wasn't right. Venipede shouldn't have been able to dodge that attack or hit Bulbasaur. Something was wrong here.

"Oh little girl, you have so much to learn about battling" Seymour said as he smiled.

Palmer stood up because he finally understood what was happening in the battle. "Venipedes have Speed Boost as an ability."

Both Zack and Leaf looked very confused. What was Palmer talking about?

"What's an ability" Zack inquired.

"All Pokemon have abilities. These abilities are special traits and skills that Pokemon use instantly. They aren't attacks, they are just natural. One of the Venipede's line abilities is Speed Boost" Palmer answered.

"What does Speed Boost do" Leaf questioned, her worry growing with every word.

"The longer and longer the battle goes on, the faster the Pokemon gets. So his Venipede is only going to get faster and faster unless you end this right now" Palmer said.

"I'm afraid you have all found me out. Oh well, even if you know the strategy, you can't stop it" Seymour proclaimed. "Let's continue shall we. Venipede use Bug Bite.

Leaf had to snap back to reality. She needed to concentrate on beating this sexist jerk.

"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip."

Before Bulbasaur could unleash its vines, Venipede came up on the planty dinosaur and showed some fangs in its mouth. Then it chomped on Bulbasaur's face repeatedly. But Bulbasaur took out its vines and used them to push the Venipede off of it with a quick but strong Vine Whip. Venipede went flying in the other direction but stabilized itself once it hit the ground.

"Venipede another Take Down" Seymour said. His confidence was obviously going up because of the way the battle was turning out.

"Bulbasaur, Tackle" Leaf commanded with less enthusiasm than before. It was almost as if her initial confidence had somehow found a way into Seymour.

Bulbasaur started picking up speed for a strong Tackle but Venipede was almost instantaneous. With great speed it hit Bulbasaur with all its weight while Bulbasaur hit it with a less than powerful Tackle. It was a head on collision and both Pokemon were thrown backwards. Bulbasaur was pushed about fifteen feet and left skid marks in the grass. Venipede was also thrown back some but not as long a distance.

"Venipede, another Take Down" Seymour demanded. That is when Leaf got a good idea.

"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf and then go into a Tackle" she said.

Bulbasaur quickly let loose its barrage of sharp leaves but Venipede avoided each of everyone of them. Once it was through the maze, it was Tackled from the side by Bulbasaur. Venipede was pushed back twenty feet and rolled right into the trunk of a strong tree.

"Quickly Bulbasaur, another Tackle" Leaf said with a growing amount of excitement.

"Venipede, avoid it" said the now worried Seymour

Bulbasaur rushed at the Venipede that was still dazed and confused. The Bug-type was still trying to get up. But suddenly, the Venipede started glowing a light Green. Once it saw Bulbasaur coming for it, it quickly moved out of the way. Bulbasaur was coming in with way too much momentum and couldn't stop. Bulbasaur rammed right into the tree that Venipede was just based at.

"What, is that glow" Leaf wondered aloud.

"Most Pokemon have multiple abilities. This glow, is another of Venipede's abilities" replied the proud Seymour. "It is called Swarm and activates when the Pokemon is in critical condition. It makes Bug type moves even stronger.

"Oh great. Another ability" said the now distraught Leaf.

"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip"

"Venipede, Bug Bite"

At this point Venipede was simply too fast. Venipede almost instantly appeared behind Bulbasaur. It was almost as if it had teleported. Venipede jumped on Bulbasaur's bulb and started eating it. The Swarm ability made the attack even more draining to Bulbasaur. He struggled to use his vines to finally knock Venipede off of his body. Bulbasaur looked absolutely exhausted. That is when Bulbasaur started growing a dark green.

"What's happening" Leaf asked.

"Bulbasaur has abilities too, Leaf" Palmer responded. "This one is called Overgrow. It's very similar to Swarm. Bulbasaur's Grass type moves are now very powerful, but he is in a dangerous situation.

"It's okay, I can handle this" said Leaf with a brand new confidence in her Bulbasaur's power.

"Venipede a Take Down to end this" Seymour said with a smile on his face.

Venipede instantly appeared in front of Bulbasaur for a vicious Take Down.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip"

Bulbasaur unleashed his vines. They were much bigger and bulkier. They grabbed Venipede mid Take Down. They were able to completely wrap up the bug. Then they swung it high in the air over and over again. Finally they took Venipede as high as they could take it, about 30 feet off the ground. Then they used all their power to slam Venipede on the ground as hard as they could. When the vines let go, Venipede had stopped glowing. Venipede had fainted.

"Venipede is unable to battle. Leaf is the winner" yelled an absolutely ecstatic Palmer.

Seymour returned his Venipede as Leaf ran over to give her Bulbasaur a big hug. Palmer and Zack came over to pat her on the back and give her high-fives. Then they all looked at Seymour.

"I believe you owe the lady something" said Palmer.

Seymour mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that. I didn't quite catch that" Leaf teased.

"I said girls are better than boys" Seymour yelled.

"Actually say boys and girls are equal. I prefer that" Leaf said.

"Boys and girls are equal" said the ticked off Seymour.

"Now you should be going" Zack said.

That is when, for whatever reason, Seymour pushed Zack to the ground. But right after that, Seymour was tackled to the ground. But not by Palmer or Leaf but by Leaf's Caterpie. Seymour got up to his feet again but was promptly downed again by a quick punch to the jaw by Palmer.

"Hope I don't get in trouble for hitting a minor" Palmer remarked. "Do you think 'he deserved it' is a valid legal excuse?"

They helped Zack up and all of them petted the Caterpie.

"You know I like you a lot more now" Leaf said to her Caterpie. Then all of a sudden, Caterpie started glowing white. Its form and shape started changing. Everyone was looking starstruck at the creature who went from a small bug to a much bigger pod.

"Today is lucky your day Leaf. You win your first battle and your Caterpie evolved into a Metapod. You want to give me some lotto numbers so we see how far we can ride this wave."

"Today is great. Cheers to having great days, with great friends" Leaf said and everyone cheered.

She had found what her mom always wanted her to find. For the first time in her life, Leaf had real friends.


	10. Zack Catches a Pokemon

The next day, Zack woke up to find Palmer sitting outside his tent with a bottle of liquor in his hand.

"How many bottles did you bring" inquired Zack. "It seems like you have dozens of them in your bag."

Palmer looked up at Zack. Zack saw Palmer had a glazed look in his eye. He wasn't quite drunk yet but he was riding a very high buzz.

"Dozens? Man I got hundreds" Palmer responded. Zack wasn't quite sure if this was an exaggeration or if Palmer was really that much of a drunk.

The two of them sat down together. They didn't really talk but they did listen and look. They saw the Pidgeys flying around and heard the songs of the Kricketune. It was nice and peaceful in the forest. The sunrise was beautiful. The reds and oranges illuminated the dark forest.

Zack thought about the sun. It was a big ball of hot fire. Yet he wasn't afraid of it. Maybe it was because the sun gave life. The sun gave meaning to the world. The sun gave...

Zack felt extreme pain all of a sudden. It was an electrical shock coursing through his body. He started compulsing and to the untrained eye it looked like he was having a seizure. Zack looked over to Palmer who seemed to be going through a similar sensation. The two of them shook involuntarily while something appeared from the bushes.

Out came a yellow mouse. A Pokemon that Zack and Palmer were all too familiar with. It was a Pikachu.

The Pikachu scurried into the campsite at quick speeds. It started rustling in one of Palmer's bags. It pulled out a bag of Pokemon food. Then the mouse bit the bag and dragged it away from the campsite.

"Help, help" Zack tried to say but his mouth wasn't working the correct way. All he heard were sounds that almost resembled human speech.

Leaf came out of her tent but she was still in her pajamas. She looked very tired and exhausted. It was understandable as she had a long day yesterday. But when she saw Zack and Palmer shaking uncontrollably, her brain woke up. She went over to them but didn't know what to do to help them.

"My bag" Palmer whispered. "Red berries."

Zack was feeling extreme pain but didn't quite know what had happened. He tried to stand up but he couldn't feel his legs at all. Meanwhile, Leaf rummaged around in Palmer's bags. Finally she found two red berries. She put one in the mouth of Zack and the other in the mouth of Palmer.

Suddenly, Zack felt much better. He was able to chew the berry and soon afterward, was able to get on to his feet. Palmer was also able to start moving again. It took a couple of minutes but soon Zack felt completely fine.

"What happened" asked the concerned Leaf who was still trying to baby Zack and Palmer.

"I have no idea" said Zack who was still a little distraught.

"Paralysis" said Palmer.

"Excuse me" asked Leaf. "I thought paralysis meant people in wheelchairs. You guys can still clearly walk."

"No no" corrected Zack. "Paralysis is a Pokemon condition. It's when a Pokemon is unable to move."

"Yes, Zack's right" Palmer replied as Zack silently gloated towards an annoyed Leaf. "But he is wrong that it only affects Pokemon. People can go under paralysis as well. But while Pokemon are only unable to move, in humans, paralysis causes loss of movement and extreme pain. It is one of the best ways to torture a person."

When he said that last part Leaf felt a little uneasy. It was almost as if he knew what he was talking about first hand.

"What paralyzed you" she asked.

"A Pikachu" Zack responded. "Just like the one Dad used to have, eh Palmer."

Palmer remained silent. He was deep in thought.

"What's wrong" Leaf asked. She was concerned that something wasn't well in Palmer.

"I messed up" Palmer said, almost to himself.

"We all do" Zack said. "We are all fine now, so it's no big deal. Though I want to go after that Pikachu. It needs to be taught a lesson."

"It is a big deal" Palmer said. "I let an enemy sneak up on us and attack us."

"But it was just a Pikachu and we're fine now. I'm shaken up too, but it isn't a grave matter."

"Yes it is" Palmer yelled. "It was just a Pikachu this time but what if next time it's Team Rocket. How am I supposed to protect you two if I get killed? Do you want to meet your family this quickly, Zack."

The clearing got quiet. Zack glared at Palmer. Zack was full of anger. He brought them up when Zack wasn't even thinking of them. He reminded Zack of a pain much worse than paralysis.

"I'm going to go look for that Pikachu" Zack said with an angry bitter tone.

"No, you're not. You are going to stay here and help me pack up" the tense Palmer said.

"Have Leaf do it" Zack said as he ran toward the direction he saw the Pikachu go.

Palmer watched him run but decided chasing him down was not the best option.

"Are you going to go after him" asked Leaf.

"If the kid has a death wish, then who I am to stop him."

Leaf didn't quite know how to respond, so she started cleaning up the campsite while Palmer paced around angrily.

Meanwhile, Zack was following a trail. He found a stream of Pokemon food. But he was distracted. Palmer's words had hurt him. He didn't need those wounds reopened. That's when Zack stumbled across the devil Pikachu itself.

The two stared each other down like it was a western movie. On one side an emotional ten year old boy. On the other, an adorable yellow mouse who wields electricity. It was truly a fight for the ages.

Zack decided this Pikachu was going to be his. Leaf had two Pokemon so Zack needed two Pokemon. Plus he needed to teach it a lesson. But while Zack was staring down the rodent, it unleashed a bunch of electrical bolts. Zack jumped out of the way because he would really not appreciate becoming an epileptic for the second time that day. Finally Zack threw Charmander out of its Poke-Ball.

"Charmander, use Scratch" Zack demanded. He was determined.

Charmander rushed the Pikachu and its claws started glowing a bright white. The Pikachu was quick though and avoided the attack and responded with a bolt of electricity into the fire lizard. Charmander flew back a couple feet but by all accounts was good.

Zack needed to think of more multi-layered strategies instead of his use Scratch repeatedly tactic. He formed a quick plan and he put it into action.

"Charmander, use two Scratch attacks" Zack yelled. "Genius, Zack, Genius" he thought to himself.

Both of Charmander's claws glowed white. He approached the Pikachu but it attacked first. In what must have been a quick attack, the rodent hit Charmander square in the chest. But Charmander swiped at him with his right claw and knocked the rodent to the side. Charmander went for an uppercut with its left claw and the Pikachu flew in the air before crashing down. It got up and released a barrage of electrical impulses. Some of them hit Charmander but he didn't seem to take any damage at all.

Zack was feeling risky to he ordered Charmander to use an Ember attack and then follow up with, yet again, a Scratch attack.

Charmander tried to open its mouth to let loose a bunch of small specks of fire, but he could not move. Pikachu responded with a Thundershock to the poor lizard. That's when Zack realized that those electrical impulses must have paralyzed Charmander.

Zack needed to think of a solution and think of it fast. Unfortunately, he had no berries or Paralyz Heals on him. So hopefully Charmander could muscle through it.

"Two more Scratch attacks" Zack ordered.

But it seemed Charmander was still under paralysis because it did not do anything. Pikachu smiled a mischievous smile and responded with a Quick Attack. It moved extremely fast and left a white trail behind it as it ran forward. It made impact and sent Charmander tumbling to the ground. Thankfully the fiery reptile was able to get to its feet, despite a fair amount of pain. Then Charmander started glowing a very bright and brilliant red.

Zack was attracted to the glow. It looked like Fire but it wasn't. There was something different to this. It looked powerful and dangerous but Zack wasn't scared. At this point Zack wasn't scared of anything.

"Flamethrower, Charmander" demanded Zack. He knew it seemed crazy but something in the back of his head said that it had to be done. Maybe this was it. Maybe this was the time that he gets over his fear.

Zack was quickly proven wrong. Charmander must have brought out some untold power because the Flamethrower was absolutely massive. It was at least double the size of all the Flamethrowers he saw come from Charmander's mouth. The pyre completely engulfed the Pikachu and Zack was in awe of its power. But he was also very terrified as his legs gave out on him and he fell to the ground. Once it was over, the Pikachu that had given Zack so much trouble was knocked unconscious. Zack got up. He couldn't believe it. He won.

He fumbled around in his pants and bag to find a Poke-Ball. Finally he grabbed an empty one. A red light covered the Pikachu and he was transported into the ball. Zack watched as the ball struggled, moving back and forth, back and forth. Then finally, after what felts like days of suspense the ball stopped shaking. Zack heard a ping sound and he realized he did it. He had caught his first Pokemon.

Zack walked over to the campsite, which was now packed up, with the biggest grin on his face. He strutted into the clearing and sent out his Pikachu. Palmer and Leaf were at first surprised then overcome with joy. They demanded to know every detail. So, Zack gave them a play by play on his battle right up to the red glow and the giant Flamethrower.

"That was Charmander's ability Blaze" Palmer said. "It works just like Overgrow and Swarm, but it works on Fire-type Pokemon and moves."

"Wow Zack. That is actually very impressive" Leaf said.

"Why do you guys sound so surprised" Zack asked with a winning smile.

"Well I'm your coach, and since I'm very bad at this, I didn't think you were going to catch a Pokemon until Vermillion City."

"Speaking of coaching" Zack said. "You really haven't taught me much."

"Oh really. I think I did a fair amount" Palmer scoffed.

"Well you could do more. And...I want you to do more. I want you to coach me, for real. Actually help me become a stronger Trainer" Zack said.

Palmer smiled. "OK kid. But my training methods are harsh. But I promise you, that you will be an amazing Trainer. Maybe even a Master."

"I would like to join in on this" Leaf butted in.

"Good the more, the merrier. You all start tomorrow."


	11. The First of Many Training Sessions

Leaf and Zack were woken up by a loud banging noise. Leaf looked outside her tent to see that it still looked like it was night time. She also saw Zack poke his out of his tent. They both looked groggy and exhausted. Palmer on the other hand was banging pots and pans together enthusiastically.

"Rise and shine," Palmer said with a lot of zest. "Today is the day you guys begin your official training. Not any of this let's play with our Pokemon every time we rest crap. Not any of this let's have Charmander throw Flamethrowers up so Zack can stop being a scaredy cat. We are going to start some awesome training."

This image was little jarring to Zack. Palmer had never been quiet but he was subdued. He preferred to be sarcastic than to jump up and have a party. But it seems like whenever Pokemon where involved, Palmer became a small fat child in a candy store.

"What time is it?" the exhausted Leaf asked.

"Adventure Time! Also, it's five A.M," Palmer answered. "Get up, get up, get up!"

Leaf and Zack quickly got dressed while Palmer danced around outside for ten minutes. Finally, when they were both ready to begin, Palmer put on his serious face. But then he started laughing giddily again.

"Both of you, show me your Pokemon," Palmer demanded.

Zack and Leaf took out two Poke-Balls each. Zack sent out his Charmander and Pikachu. Leaf sent out her Bulbasaur and Metapod. Palmer examined each and every one of the Pokemon very carefully. Then he got up and started examining the trailers very carefully. Finally, he had completed his examination.

"Well guys, let me ask you this. What is the most important thing a Pokemon needs to be successful in battle?" Palmer said.

"Maybe an item," Leaf answered.

"A good ability," Zack shrugged.

"Both of those are good answers, but they are wrong. The most important thing a Pokemon needs to do well in battle, is a good Trainer. A Trainer who knows all about them, who is constantly bettering themselves and their Pokemon. A Trainer who is good at creating effective strategies and making correct choices. So tell me what is the first step to becoming a great Trainer."

"I don't know," said Zack. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really know too much about being a Trainer. His dad never took him out to teach him any of this stuff.

"A...good teacher" Leaf winked at Palmer.

"Leaf, with most people flattery will get you nowhere. But with me, I love it. You are my new favorite student."

Leaf smiled while Zack glared at the two of them. Then Palmer continued on his speech.

"The first step to becoming a great Trainer is to know your Pokemon. To love them and enjoy them. To know their strengths and weaknesses. To know their abilities and their movesets. This is what my teacher taught me. So, I took this to the extreme."

Palmer pulled out one Poke-Ball. Zack realized that he had never actually seen Palmer with a Pokemon. His father had told him that Palmer was at one point a world champion, but Zack had never seen his team.

"I have only one Pokemon," Palmer said. "I have only had one Pokemon, my entire life."

"Wait, what?!" Zack said in alarm. "But you were a world champion. How could that be true?"

Palmer threw his Poke-Ball in air and out came a yellow dragon. It had arms, wings, a tail, legs, and antennas. Leaf took out the Pokedex that Professor Oak gave her and it started talking.

"Dragonite, the Dragon Pokemon. Very few people ever see this Pokemon. Its intelligence is said to match that of humans," the Pokedex said.

"I caught Dragonite when he was just a Dratini. He was my first Pokemon. I had a teacher who said the best way to become a great Trainer was to know everything about your Pokemon and focus on them. So I did. I only ever learned and focused on Dragonite. So, in return for my love and affection, we became world champions."

"But, how could you be a world champion with only one Pokemon?" Zack asked. "It doesn't seem possible that one Pokemon could defeat entire teams of six."

"Oh, it wasn't easy at first," Palmer responded. "Dragonite had to work harder than all the other Pokemon combined. I remember one time I challenged an Ice-type Gym. We had to have lost over a hundred times, but every day we went in there to get stronger. Finally, one day the type disadvantage didn't matter. We defeated all three of his Pokemon with just one."

"That's amazing," Leaf noted. "Dragonite must be super powerful."

"Dragonite is the most powerful Pokemon in captivity. He is also the most powerful, that we know of, in the world that is not legendary. You guys are looking at a Pokemon living legend."

Palmer showed off his Dragonite for a couple minutes. Zack and Leaf both approached it and even though it was extremely powerful, it was kind and gentle. But you could tell Palmer trained the thing. It was pretty funny and always trying to have a good time by playing with Leaf and Zack. Zack thought the Dragonite behaved a lot like a puppy. It was very energetic and happy to do things, much like Palmer was today. Finally after some playing with Dragonite, Palmer decided to continue his lecture.

"So what you guys need to do is learn to trust and love your Pokemon and find out everything you can about them," Palmer explained. "To do this, we are going to start working on your Pokemon's most important aspect. Their moveset. Do you guys know your Pokemon's movesets?"

"Well Charmander knows Flamethrower, Scratch, and Ember," Zack replied. "Pikachu knows Thundershock, Quick Attack, and Thunder Wave."

"Bulbasaur knows Tackle, Vine Whip, and Razor Leaf," Leaf said. "But, I don't know any of Metapod's moves."

"You guys need more moves. Moves are the primary tools in a Pokemon's arsenal. And you guys need to up your arsenal. Because the bigger that arsenal is, the more tools it has to dismantle its opponents. Look at Dragonite. He has learned over 100 different moves and still retains memory of all them. He can destroy his opponent in over 100 different ways. That's one of the reasons he is the strongest. He has an answer to everything."

Zack stared in wonder. His father said the most moves any of his Pokemon had learned were ten or fifteen. Dragonite made them all look like chumps.

"So what are we going to do," Leaf asked. She didn't know where Palmer was going with this.

"Each of you are going to teach your Pokemon a new move," Palmer responded with a mischievous smile on his face. "I will be the one to assign the new moves to you."

"How are we going to teach them," Leaf questioned.

"I have videos of every known move in the world. They are called TM. They used to only hold certain moves, but a couple years back they decided every move should be taught-able. Of course, this is within the realm of reason. Charmander isn't going to be learning Vine Whip or Hydro Pump anytime soon. But I can't teach you moves that are too advanced either. These attacks will be on your level, so no learning Hyper Beams or anything like that."

Palmer digged around in his bag before finding the machine he was looking for. It looked like a small television set and he hooked up another Ipod like device to the TV.

"Zack, the move Charmander will be learning, is called Rock Smash. It is a Fighting type move," Palmer said as he pressed a button his smaller device. A video of a Charmander appeared on the screen. Zack didn't like this Charmander. He was slowly getting used to his own Charmander's fire but still couldn't stand to see the sight of another one. This Charmander had a boulder in front of it. It's hand glowed white and then orange and it shattered the boulder with a punch. Zack was amazed by its raw power.

"Pikachu, will be learning Swift. Bulbasaur, Toxic," Palmer beamed.

"But what about Metapod?" Leaf asked.

"Trust me when I say in a couple of days, Metapod will have quite the potential movesets," Palmer said as he gave Leaf a quick wink.

Zack and Leaf's Pokemon watched the videos of their Pokemon doing other attacks. Swift for Pikachus was them swinging their tail and bunch of stars come out. Zack's Pikachu rolled its eyes at this video but when it tried to perform the move it fell on its face. Sludge was Bulbasaur spitting a purple goop onto other Pokemon. The Pokemon were then poisoned and the battle was much easier.

They all spent a couple hours trying to perform the attacks. Each and every time they attempted it, they failed. Palmer was relaxing with his Dragonite in the corner, occasionally yelling tips. He would talk to his Dragonite like it was a real person and the funny thing was that the Dragonite acted like a person. It laughed at Palmer's jokes and tried telling some of its own. Unfortunately it was a Pokemon speaking Pokemon language so its jokes weren't very funny.

Zack and Leaf were having a really hard time. Their Pokemon weren't doing the moves correctly or anything. Zack still wasn't completely comfortable around Charmander but the fiery lizard tried to be nice. It tried to give Zack a hug but Zack wasn't quite ready for that yet and moved away.

Palmer watched the two Trainers under his wing flounder around and not make much progress for an hour before making another speech.

"Your guys problem is you aren't close enough to your Pokemon. You guys need a strong connection or else everything is going to fall apart," Palmer said to his pupils.

"How do we get a better bond" Zack questioned. He knew that this was going to be hard for him. He was scared of Charmander and Pikachu was a bit of a jerk.

"Easy. You have to spend time with them and become friends with them. You have to put yourself in their shoes. You have to embrace your Pokemon."

"Right," Leaf said as she absorbed every word.

"You have to sniff your Pokemon."

"Well, uh, okay," Leaf said with less confidence.

"You have to lick your Pokemon."

"Okay, I'm not doing that," said Leaf who Palmer had, but clearly just lost.

"You have to wash your Pokemon, you have to date your Pokemon, you have to be your Pokemon!"

"This guy is mental!" Leaf yelled.

"Agreed," Zack said. "But you can't deny it. The guy has style."


	12. Meet Gary

"Charmander, use Rock Smash," Zack commanded.

The flame reptile's hand started glowing white. Zack kept thinking about how this was the time. This time it would finally work. Charmander had a determined expression on its face when its hand started glowing orange. All they had to do was break the rock in front of them. But as Charmander jammed his hand into the rock, the glow faded. Charmander grabbed his hand in pain because he had just punched a rock. The rock took no damage at all.

Zack sighed. He had been trying to perfect the move assignments that Palmer gave him for the last three days. Neither Pikachu nor Charmander were able to accurately perform their new moves. They had both improved of course, but it was starting to seem a little fruitless. Charmander could never follow through with Rock Smash and Pikachu's personal best was one star coming out from his tail, not the whole barrage that should.

Zack looked over to see Leaf and Palmer talking to each other nonchalantly. Her Bulbasaur was going at a much faster rate than either of Zack's Pokemon. Palmer said it would only take a couple more training sessions before her Bulbasaur had perfected Sludge. Palmer said it might take Zack weeks to have his Pokemon perfect their moves.

Zack went inside the Pokemon Center that the trio stayed at for the night. He went to a vending machine and got a small snack and drink. His sat down and laid back on a bench. Pikachu jumped on his lap and started sleeping. Charmander tried to do the same, but thought against it. It just stood next to the bench.

"I have to focus," Zack said to himself. "We have to keep trying. We can't give up. They will have died for nothing if I give up."

"Talking to yourself now, eh Zack. You're even lamer than I thought," said a voice that sounded all too familiar to Zack.

"Please don't tell me it's you," Zack said with a particularly annoyed look and tone.

"It's me in the flesh," said the confident young voice.

Zack turned around and winced when he saw who was standing in front of him. There stood a boy about Zack's age. He was wearing a navy blue polo shirt and some jeans. He had a bunch of big spiky hair on his head and he had confidence in his eyes. He grinned the cockiest grin that Zack had ever seen.

"Gary Oak," Zack said wistfully.

"The one and only," Gary replied as a he did a small bow.

"I was hoping I was never going to see you again," Zack remarked.

"Well, anything to make you miserable Zack," Gary sarcastically retorted.

"So, why are you here?"

"Well, I'm doing the whole Pokemon Trainer thing. Gonna be the best like no one ever was sort of thing. Was passing through the area and decided to stay the night. When I woke up this morning, here you are. So I decided to grace you with my presence."

"I feel so honored," Zack deadpanned.

"Oh, you should. People pay money for me to greet them, and here I am giving you a free show."

"What kind of poor, poor person would pay money to see you Gary."

"No one yet. But when I become champion that number will rise up from zero to a much higher number."

"Hah. You becoming champion? Please, I am going to be champion of the Pokemon League."

Gary started laughing at this, as if it was the funniest joke he had ever heard. Zack glared at the boy laughing. Zack hated the way Gary laughed. He was always laughing at someone.

"No offense Zack, but you are not going to be able to win anything. Ever," Gary said while still laughing hysterically.

"If you just came over here to insult me, you can leave now. I got the memo," Zack quipped.

Then Zack saw Palmer and Leaf. They started walking over to where the hellish conversation was taking place. Zack shook his head to tell them he didn't want them over there but they either didn't listen or didn't care.

"Hey Zack," Palmer said as he walked up. "Who's your friend?" he continued as he pointed at Gary.

"That is Gary Oak. He is a horrible person and I leave him alone, unless you like being mentally tortured." Zack said

"Is that what they call your condition Zack?" Gary teased. "Mentally tortured. That has got to be what you got."

Leaf looked at the boy in front of her apprehensively. He looked handsome but he seemed like a jerk. Plus, Zack's review of him wasn't exactly positive. Leaf decided to stay quiet. She didn't want to attract an unwanted insulting or conversation. Then the boy looked at her and smiled.

"Hello, hello, hello," Gary said as he looked up and down Leaf's body. "I don't believe we have met. I'm Gary Oak. And you are...?"

"Leaf," whispered Leaf. She wasn't into straight up talking to people. She had to get to know them first. She got to know Zack and Palmer and was comfortable with them. But she didn't like this guy. She must have gave him a dirty look or something because he started talking again.

"Oh, come on girl, don't be like that," Gary teased. "How about we leave these piles of trash and go somewhere a little more private," he continued while touching Leaf's arm which she jerked out of his hands.

"These piles of trash are my friends," Leaf responded. She really didn't like this guy and was slowly building anger.

Gary looked around at her friends. "You have the idiot Zack, who will never do anything successful in his life. Then you got the drunk Palmer, who's probably going to be dead and homeless within a couple years."

"I'm sorry, have we met. Because I don't remember introducing myself and I sure as hell would remember a little crap like yourself," Palmer said.

"I have lived in Pallet Town all my life, so of course I have heard of Palmer. My father used to tell me the stories about the great and noble Palmer. One of the greatest trainers to ever live. But then he disappeared off the face of the earth for a couple years, and came back as a drunk, worthless pig.

Palmer thought about the kid. "I do know you. You're Gary Oak. Which means you are the grandson of Professor Oak, right?"

"That's me," Gary cockily replied.

"So your mother is Diana Oak, correct?"

"Why you wanna know," Gary replied.

"That's where I heard about you. Yeah after sticking it to your mom for a couple hours she told me all about her son Gary, who wanted to become a Pokemon Master. Thought you would be a nice kid, but I guess she isn't as great a mother as she thinks."

"How dare you," said the visibly angry Gary. "My mother is amazing and she would never spend her day doing anything with the likes of you!"

"Now, if Diana Oak is your mother, that mean's you don't have a father. He walked out on you a couple years back."

Gary got silent on this. Zack had remembered when that happened. Before that him and Gary were best friends. But after that, Gary grew distant and then into a jerk. They weren't friends anymore because of that.

"Stop it Palmer," Zack said. "You are taking this too far."

Zack could remember all the days that Gary just sat and cried. Zack could remember his own parents dying a couple days ago. They were harsh wounds and Palmer was opening them all.

"Well it's not hard to see why he walked out. I mean it was obviously because of you. He couldn't stand having a son that's such a jerk. He hated you and you made him leave. Did I get that right?"

Gary exploded in anger. He threw a punch at Palmer who easily reflected it. He kept trying to hit Palmer but Palmer blocked and dodged every single one of them. Leaf could see tears coming out of Gary's eyes. Then he stopped fighting.

"You are all worthless piles of trash. I hope you all fail," the indignant Gary said. Then he walked up to Palmer and spat in his face before walking away. Zack turned Palmer and started going off.

"Palmer you took that too far and you know it!" Zack yelled. "His father walked out on him and you make fun of his parents. It hurts when you lose a parent."

"The kid deserved it," Palmer said as he lit a cigarette. "He shouldn't have been over here insulting everything about us. I was this close from knocking the jerk out cold, but I had to restrain myself."

"You were in the wrong," Zack said with finality.

"Let's just agree to disagree," Palmer finished.

Leaf went outside to the battle arena. She was hoping she could get away from the tension those two were having. She hated tension. It always messed up people she liked. She sent out her Bulbasaur and her Metapod. She held Metapod in her hands and had Bulbasaur lay down at her feet.

She sat back to relax and saw Gary sitting on a bench crying. She wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to comfort him because that would involve talking to him. But sitting here watching him cry didn't sound like a good option. He looked up and saw her staring at him.

She quickly pretended to be doing something else by looking up at the sky. But it was too late. He was already on his way over to her.

"Why were you staring at me," Gary said. He had a force in his voice that wasn't there earlier.

"I wasn't staring at you. I was...stargazing. Yep. Gotta have my stars," Leaf said as she awkwardly fumbled around with her words.

"Stargazing. In the middle of the day?" Gary asked. He had lost the force and now seemed like he was reverting back to his normal self.

"Yep," Leaf awkwardly spit out.

"Look, I don't know why you are hanging out with those guys. You shouldn't be surrounded by worthless people. But you tell them that next time we all meet, I want to destroy them in a Pokemon battle. I want to show them how inferior they are to me."

Leaf just kind of sat there while Gary said these things. She didn't really know what to say back. Finally he brought her back into orbit.

"You did hear me, right. Of course, Zack gets to travel with a beautiful airhead. He is the lucky one," Gary said to Leaf as he tried to get her attention.

"Yeah I will tell them you will want to battle," Leaf said. Gary nodded and started walking off towards Pewter City. Leaf thought the conversation was a little weird but she never really had too many conversations, so it was probably fine. She sat back and tried to relax on the bench with her Pokemon by her side.

Gary was a weird kid. But she could sense something about him. He was more vulnerable than he tried to play off. But to be fair, Zack did the exact same thing. She wondered who would win in a battle between Zack and Gary. But, she didn't see Gary's battling skills. Oh well. Maybe next time she would.


	13. Zack vs Brock

Zack ran through the checkpoint at a breakneck speed. He was so excited. This was going to be it. This would the first time he would challenge a Gym. They were in Pewter City.

Leaf and Palmer jogged to keep up with him. Finally, once they caught up, Leaf had to take a small break. Once Zack saw Pewter City he ran for it. That was ten minutes ago. She was exhausted.

"You know kid, cardio isn't my strong suit," said Palmer. He didn't look very tired and knowing how athletic he was, Zack didn't think much of the comment.

"Aren't you guys excited?" asked the very enthusiastic Zack. "I have been wanting to come to Pewter City for forever. Me and Leaf will get our first Gym badge here. It's going to be great."

"You know Zack, I don't think this is a good idea," Palmer said.

"Why not?" asked Zack.

"I think you guys need more training before you challenge the Gym Leader. These guys aren't bad trainers. They aren't Seymour or Isiahh. They are professionals, and some of the best Trainers in the world. It is going to be hard to beat them."

"I actually have a quick question about that," Leaf said. "If they are so great and they are using their best teams, how do we beat them?"

"They have eight different teams they can use. It depends on how many badges their opponent has. So you guys will be going against their easiest team since you have no badges," Palmer pointed out. "I don't think this is a good idea at all. I know all the Gym Leaders. Brock is a great friend of mine and he is a big softie outside the battlefield. But inside it, he decimates his opponents with brutal tactics. Your Pokemon will end up as stains on the floor,"

"That reminds me," Zack said. "What Pokemon type does Brock specialize in?"

"Rock. That is even more motivation not to rush into this. Rock beats Fire types and Bug types, and Electric types do very little," Palmer tried to explain. Unfortunately, it seems Zack either didn't care or wasn't listening.

"What about Grass types?" Leaf asked with a curious look in her eye.

"Well okay, you will have a major advantage there," Palmer admitted. "But more training could help you as well. You are going to need some serious firepower to use against Brock. He eats beginning Trainers up like breakfast cereal."

Leaf just rolled the eyes. Palmer was probably exaggerating. She could easily defeat this Brock guy. She had a massive type advantage over him. Plus, she liked to think of herself as a competent Trainer.

They all walked through the city, which was kind of small, before finding a large building. It said Pewter Gym on the front door. It didn't look like a strange building at all. Leaf wasn't sure what she was expecting. Maybe something a little more rocky.

The trio walked up to the front door before Zack suddenly stopped. He stood in front of the door but wasn't opening it.

"My friends, this is it. We start our career of success today. Are you ready Leaf?" he said.

"Yes," Leaf playfully replied as Palmer rolled his eyes. Suddenly Zack swung open the doors.

Inside the gym was a giant field. But instead of the clay field, that Zack and Leaf had seen outside every Pokemon Center they found, this one was different. There were giant rock all over the arena. It was almost like a rock maze. There were catwalks on the sides of the arena, probably for people to watch the battles that transpired there. And at the end of the arena stood a teenager. This guy must have been fifteen but he looked athletic and muscular. He had brown skin and squinty eyes. He stood strong and tall.

"My name is Brock, Leader of the Pewter City Gym," the teenager said with a big booming voice. "Which of you will be battling me today?"

Leaf was intimidated. This guy looked like he was tough and he took no nonsense. She started to reconsider battling this guy.

"Oh my god, Palmer is that you?" said Brock in a much less intimidating voice. He had instantly switched into friendly mode. "Long time no see buddy. What brings you to the Gym?"

"Well, I have two students here who want to challenge your Gym," said Palmer. "I don't think they can handle you man. Nice to see you."

Zack noted that Palmer and Brock seemed very friendly with each other despite the age difference. Palmer must have been in his 40s while Brock looked like a teenager. But the way they talked, you would think they knew each other forever.

"You got a girl yet?" Palmer asked.

"Ahh, you know me. Always searching but never finding the one," Brock replied a little bitterly but still generally happy.

"How's the family?"

"You know how it is. Mom and Dad been doing their own thing, so I got to take care my siblings and all that stuff. Cook and clean, all that jazz."

"You know, I thought this guy was intimidating at first," Leaf whispered to Zack. "But now, he seems like the friendliest guy ever."

"Palmer said that he was brutal in the arena, so maybe the tough guy thing is just an act," Zack pointed out.

"Yeah the tough guy thing is an act," Brock said as he heard what was going on in the young Trainer's conversation. "But I have been known to be especially brutal inside the arena. I guess someone else takes over me. So which of you am I battling first?"

"Me," Zack and Leaf said in unison.

"It's okay, you can go first," Leaf insisted.

"You sure?" Zack questioned.

"Positive," she answered.

Zack and Brock met on the arena. Zack was amazed on how big the rocks were, not that he was ground level with them. Some of them must have been stacked thirty feet high.

"This is your first Gym battle, correct?" Brock said as he went over to his side of the arena.

"Yes," Zack said with a huge amount of nervous energy flowing through his veins. Brock picked up two Poke-Balls from a machine.

"Let's begin, then," Brock said with a bit of a sadistic look in his eye. Zack looked at him and started to feel uneasy. Maybe this wasn't the greatest idea after all.

A small boy, who must have been Zack's age came running to the arena with two referee flags in his hand. One was red and the other was green.

"This is one of my Gym Trainer, Jerry," Brock said. "He will be referring the match."

"This will be a 2 on 2 Pokemon Battle for the Boulder Badge. Send out your Pokemon!" Jerry yelled excitedly. Zack threw out his Poke-Ball and out comes out his Pikachu. The Piakchu had a very determined look on its face. Brock threw out another Poke-Ball and out came a rock with arms. It floated in mid-air and looked very serious.

"A Geodude," Zack said. He actually knew about these Pokemon. It was one of the few things his father had actually taught him about. They were basically big rocks.

"Let the battle begin!" screamed Jerry.

"Pikachu, hit him with a Quick Attack!" Zack yelled.

"Geodude, take the hit and respond with a Mega Punch," Brock calmy said.

Pikachu geared up for the attack and dashed at the Geodude. It hit the floating rock with top speed and a trail of white energy surrounding it, but it didn't seem to do much of anything. The Geodude made a small wince but then one of its fist started glowing white. With a big setup, it punched downward onto the small Pikachu. The fist crushed Pikachu into the ground and made a small sinkhole. Pikachu was stuck in said hole, and experiencing major pain.

Zack was thinking how vicious that looked. Pikachu had literally just been stuck between a rock and a hard place and made the hard place break. This wasn't going to well.

"Pikachu, Thundershock."

"Geodude, Vital Throw."

Geodude immediately grabbed Pikachu by its tail with both hands. Pikachu tried to shake off the Geodude by letting out an electric Thundershock to disable the rock. But it seems like the attack didn't even affect the Geodude because it kept swinging Pikachu over its head a couple more times, before throwing it across the arena. Pikachu crashed into a big rock, at least a hundred pounds, but it shattered as soon as Pikachu hit it.

"Pikachu, try to paralyze him with a Thunder Wave," Zack pleaded. He was getting desperate. Pikachu was getting thrown around like a rag doll and didn't have any defense or offense against this Geodude.

"Geodude, finish Pikachu off with a Rock Throw," Brock commanded. Zack could see what Palmer meant when he said the guy was vicious. He continued to overpower Zack's Pikachu like it was nothing and hit it with brutal attacks.

Pikachu got up and released multiple electric impulses to hit the Geodude with its Thunder Wave attack. Geodude didn't seem to really care because it picked up one of the rocks from the arena. It just plucked it out of the ground like it was a flower. It leaned back to throw the giant rock across the field,when the Thunder Wave attack hit. But for some reason, it didn't stop Geodude at all. He flung the two hundred pound rock and it hit the poor Pikachu who was still trying to recover from the last hit. Pikachu flew across the arena and landed at Zack's feet. It looked extremely beat up. Zack decided he would have to end this. That's when Pikachu struggled up to its feet. It looked bruised and beaten but more determined than ever.

"I like your Pikachu," Brock said. "It has determination. It has spunk. Most Pokemon wouldn't be able to stand after attacks like that. But he has guts. Too bad, I'm going to have to hit him again. Geodude, Rock Tomb!"

Zack knelt down next to his Pikachu. They nodded at each other and Pikachu got ready to deliver a beatdown.

"Pikachu, Thunder Wave!" Zack enthusiastically yelled.

Pikachu jumped out on the field and let out more electrical impulses from its bright red cheeks. Geodude viciously punched the ground. Pikachu didn't even know what was going to happen.

A bunch of giant rock slabs came from the ground. They completely surrounded Pikachu who was now unable to move anywhere. It was blocked on all directions.

"Geodude, Mega Punch."

"Wait, how do I get Pikachu out of there?" questioned the desperate Zack.

"Unfortunately, you don't," replied Brock. He almost sounded apologetic but Zack knew that he wasn't going to apologize for winning the battle.

Geodude strolled over to the rocks that were surrounding Pikachu. Then its fist started glowing white. It punched the rocks and all of them crumbled. Unfortunately, all the debris, big and small, came crashing down on top of poor Pikachu. Pikachu got crushed by all the falling rocks. When the dust cleared, Pikachu had fainted.

"Pikachu is unable to battle," Jerry said as he raised a red flag in Zack's direction. What Pokemon will you send out next Zack?"

Zack was just in awe. Pikachu, who he always thought as of tough, didn't even damage the Geodude. It was a complete blowout. He got out his Poke-Ball and made Pikachu return.

"You did good buddy," he said to Pikachu while he was resting in his Poke-Ball.

Palmer and Leaf had watched the whole battle in silence. Leaf was terrified to see what happened. It didn't even seem like a fair fight. Pikachu was brutalized.

"I don't want to face him," she said.

"You're going to have to face him eventually," Palmer replied with a somber look in his eyes. He wasn't acting super happy, or excited, or even sarcastic. He just looked sad.

"I know," Leaf admitted. "But not today. I want to go up against him another time, but not today.

"I agree," Palmer said as he watched as Zack send out Charmander to inevitably be ravaged by Brock's tactics.

"Geodude, Rock Throw," commanded Brock.

"Charmander, Flamethrower," Zack demanded.

"Flamethrower! What is he thinking," Leaf said to Palmer as she worried.

"He can't afford to mess up. He thinks he needs to use all of his best attacks in able to win. Even if it unnerves him," Palmer replied.

Geodude picked up another big rock from the arena but he was stopped cold in his tracks when Charmander spit out his stream of red fire. It distracted the Geodude, who almost dropped the rock on its head, but he kept it steady and threw it. The rock sailed through the air before crashing into Charmander. Charmander fell to the ground in great pain.

"You do know, Fire types are weak against Rock-type attacks, right," Brock pointed out.

Charmander looked just like Pikachu did when it was hit by three attacks only Charmander was only hit by one. He struggled to his feet slowly.

"Geodude, Mega Punch!"

"Charmander, Rock Smash!"

Leaf gasped while Palmer just shook his head.

Charmander's hand glowed white and then transitioned to orange. Geodude's fist turned white and he rushed forward. The two Pokemon released their fists at the same time. But, Charmander's lost its glow before it could hit the target. It brushed against the Geodude and did no damage but Geodude's Mega Punch sent Charmander flying across the arena. He landed in front of Zack, knocked out.

"Charmander in unable to battle," Jerry said. "Brock is the winner."

Zack returned Charmander to his Poke-Ball. Tears started to form in Zack's eyes. It was a blowout. He was defeated. He lost the battle. Zack ran out of the Gym, tears flowing down his face like a river. Brock gave Palmer a look of sadness.

"I'm sorry," Brock said. "I shouldn't have been so harsh."

"No," Palmer replied. "He will learn from his mistakes and come back stronger than ever. I know he will."


	14. Get Over It

Zack ran and ran and ran. He finally stopped running after what had to have been fifteen long minutes. He was exhausted. He sat down on a bench and continued to cry.

He had lost the battle. But it wasn't even a close loss. It was a blowout. Brock and his Geodude had punished Pikachu and Charmander, who in turn were barely able to damage their opponent.

"I'm hopeless," Zack said to himself. "I'm never going to be able to be a Pokemon Master. I'm never going to be able to make their deaths mean something."

Zack just sat on the bench, feeling numb. Tears ran down his face. A couple of people gave him sympathetic stares and glances but he didn't care. He just sat there and thought long and hard about what he was going to do now.

He thought and thought about what to do. He could keep training, but what good would that do against Brock. Brock was a great battler with brutal strategies and tactics. He completely overpowers his opponents and leaves them feeling hopeless. To Zack, Brock was the big obstacle in the way of his dreams. To Brock, Zack was just another day's work.

Zack continued to sit there. He needed to relax. Think things over. He shouldn't make any rash decisions. But the whole journey was a rash decision. He needed time to breathe. He didn't need anything or anyone to provoke him.

"Wow, crying now. You really are a loser, aren't you Zack," Gary sneered.

Zack sighed. "Of course. When I am sad and vulnerable and I don't need any negativity in my mind, you show up. Did you know your timing is always the best Gary?"

"I have been told that before," Gary quipped. "What happened, your friends ditch on you."

"Why do you want to know?"

"What, I can't be curious on how my friend is doing?"

"You think we are friends?"

"No, not really. But I don't consider us enemies. Palmer is an enemy to me. But for me and you, rivals is a more appropriate term."

Zack smiled. The nice side of Gary shined every now and again. The side that was there when they were friends. "What do rivals do for each other?" Zack asked.

"Oh, they battle, check to see how the other is doing. But they don't like each other. They still hate each other. It's just a...friendly hate."

Zack laughed. "You hate me... in a friendly way. I'm not sure if I should be offended or if I should start singing the Golden Girls theme song."

"Definitely the latter," Gary replied as the two old friends laughed.

"Why can't we always be like this?" Zack asked. "You know, be good friends?"

Gary laughed. "We aren't friends Zack. I came over here to make fun of you, but then I saw you were crying. And I will always help someone who is crying."

"Why?"

"Because I've been there. I know how they feel," Gary said with a wistful tone, as if he was reminiscing about something. "So I decided to cheer you up. Next time we meet though it's back to business as usual. You won't be the Zack you are right now. You are going to be a stubborn and confident person, not this sniveling mess in front of me."

"If we meet again," Zack sarcastically said. "It's probably not going to happen."

"And why not?"

"Have you visited the Pewter City Gym?"

"Yeah, and I got the badge to prove it," Gary said as he rummaged around in his bag and pulled out a case. He opened the case to show off his badge. It was a gray octagon and it looked like a boulder.

"How did you beat him?" Zack asked incredulously.

"Oh, so you lost against him. That explains the crying and being a wimp."

"Can you just answer my question?" Zack asked.

"Well, he was the hardest battle I have ever had. He knocked out my first Pokemon very easily. That Geodude of his was a monster. But it actually went down very easily once it met a Pokemon that had a type advantage over it. My Pokemon mowed through it. It was his main Pokemon, the stronger one, that was the tough battle. It was back and forth, but eventually I won out."

Zack slumped down in the bench. "I didn't even get to see his second Pokemon. His Geodude plowed through my Pikachu and Charmander like they were nothing."

"Well duh," Gary rudely said. "Those two have a type disadvantage against Rock-type Pokemon. Both of his Pokemon are dual typed. Rock and Ground. Electric type attacks do nothing against them and Fire type attacks don't do a lot either. Normal type attacks don't do much either, so if you were thinking of using Tackle and Scratch, and attacks like that, think again."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Zack asked. He didn't know almost any of this stuff. It explained a lot about what happened in the battle. Why Pikachu's Thunder Wave and Thundershock did nothing. Why Geodude shrugged off Pikachu's Quick Attack. Why Flamethrower didn't do much.

Gary looked at Zack with a strange look in his eye. "Why wouldn't you know this. You need to study up on everything about Pokemon. All the different species, all the possible moves, all the typing combinations. What works and what doesn't work. Your opponents specialty and how they battle. For example, Brock is all about power. He overpowers you because his Pokemon can take most hits pretty easily and deal out massive damage in return. You need to find his weakness before you meet him."

Zack felt like a revelation had just descended upon him. He had never thought about this. His father and Red had both made battling seem so natural, so easy. Like all you had to do was call out moves and victory was yours. But the way Gary talked about it seemed the opposite. Battling was intense and that you had to work hard at it. Was that what Palmer had been trying to hammer into his brain this time. Work at things.

"Hey, you still paying there," Gary said as he snapped fingers in front of Zack's eyes. "What's the point of me giving you advice if you space out when I'm giving it?"

"Sorry," Zack said as he came back to reality. He was starting to think that Gary had the right idea. Zack's "natural" talent had been failing him so far. He needed something more. He needed to try, to work harder.

"Gary, thanks for telling me this. It is very useful information. I'm going to study and..."

"NERD! I gave you advice, I don't want you to give me your life story. Do what you want with the info. I gave it to you so that when we do battle it will be so much sweeter when I beat you."

Gary walked away and flipped his hand up in a gesture that Zack hoped meant goodbye, but wasn't too sure. Zack continued sitting on his bench as he watched his "new" rival walk away. He continued to think quietly to himself. Gary was right. Battling was more than beating your opponent. It was knowing what you are doing. It is studying what worked and what didn't. Zack jumped up out of the bench. He needed to find Palmer. He needed Palmer to teach him, everything he needed to know. He ran towards the gym but ran right into a person.

"Ow," Leaf said as she got up. Zack wasn't looking where he was going and had plowed right into her. "We really need to stop doing this to each other."

"Sorry," Zack uttered as he helped Leaf to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, fine. The real question is are you okay. You seemed pretty hurt after what had happened at the Gym."

"I was," Zack uttered. "But I'm feeling a little better now. Do you know where Palmer is?"

"He is still at the Gym, talking to Brock. He asked me to go look for you."

"Do you know why?"

Leaf shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea."

"OK, let's head back to the Gym."

"I don't think I want to," Leaf said.

"Why not?"

"I don't like it in there."

Zack and Leaf sat down on the bench. The two of them looked into each others eyes. Leaf looked scared but Zack looked strangely calm.

"I'm having doubts that I want to be a Trainer," Leaf said with a quiver in her voice. "I saw what Brock did to you. Zack you seem like a better Trainer than me and, no offense, he bulldozed you. I don't want to put my Pokemon through that. I'm not...good enough to handle that."

"Leaf, don't say that. You are a great Trainer. But neither of us can be rushing into these battles. We need to try harder. We need to give it our all."

"I don't think I can. I can't deal with the pain and discouragement of losing. I'm not strong like you. I don't have that drive to keep going. I'm scared."

Tears started flowing down Leaf's eyes. She was terrified. Zack had the feeling that there was more that she was scared about. There were more things that were bothering her. But he didn't push it or question her. But he did want to comfort her. He grabbed her by both of her hands.

"Leaf, I don't want you to be scared. You are a strong person. You can do anything you want. You just have to try."

Leaf felt Zack's hands. They felt warm and comforting. For a second, all of her fear melted away and determination replaced it. He had an energy, a confidence that she had never seen in anyone else. He had something...unique. Leaf's confidence grew and she stopped crying and nodded her head. The two looked in each others eyes and mutually agreed they were going to never stop pursuing their dreams. Never.


End file.
